


Peterpatter One-Shots

by cosmicoyote



Category: Julie and The Phantoms (TV 2020)
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff and Angst, Luke flirting by using Reggies full name, M/M, Peterpatter, also biphobia sometimes, because reggies parents suck, lukereggie - Freeform, mentions of parental fighting, ruke - Freeform, will have tw when needed
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-22
Updated: 2021-03-12
Packaged: 2021-03-13 06:06:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 21,850
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29646894
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cosmicoyote/pseuds/cosmicoyote
Summary: A collection of peterpatter/ruke/lukereggie one-shots that were created through prompts requested on twitter or tumblr. I hope y'all enjoy them. ♥(Collection title still w.i.p.)
Relationships: Luke Patterson/Reggie Peters (Julie and The Phantoms)
Comments: 13
Kudos: 81





	1. Coffee & Chili Cheese Fries

**Author's Note:**

> prompt: "luke takes reggie out for a coffee to cheer reggie up after a bad day"

The soft clatter of rock against the siding of his house nearly sent Reggie toppling out of bed and ready to start screaming for help.

Luckily, he was too exhausted to make more than a startled yelping sound like a puppy getting its tail stepped on. Reggie stopped long enough to clear his throat and mentally shake off the fact his vocal cords were capable of such an unholy sound then got out of bed to peer out of his bedroom window.

Down below in the backyard and just visible because of the streetlight across the way was his best friend, Luke Patterson. Reggie blinked, not expecting this late night visit whatsoever. If his parents caught him having a friend over so late… He didn’t even want to think about it.

With any luck, they would both be asleep, exhausted after their long work days apart and their brief but no more interactive time at home. If they weren’t fighting, they were pointedly ignoring each other, which made Reggie all the more uncomfortable around them.

Today had been one of the bad days, and there hadn’t even been too much fighting involved. Reggie’s mother had made some offhand comment about the way the front lawn looked. His father responded by getting angry and telling her passive aggressively that if she didn’t like how it looked, she could do the outdoor work for the house.

This had escalated and caused Reggie to leave the dining room table where he could sometimes get homework done if he had earphones in. Not on nights like these when he could hear the raised voices through his favorite rock music.

So, Reggie had retreated to his room and blared his music from his stereo until his father opened the door and threatened to break the speakers if he didn’t turn his music down.

Before Luke had showed up, Reggie had been huddled under his covers and begging his unconscious mind to let sleep take him. Sounds from outside like car engines, dogs barking, and tree frogs seemed magnified in his head and didn’t help matters. On top of that, stress and his hyperactive mind kept him wide awake and unable to fully relax.

Cautiously, Reggie slowly opened his window and leaned out to stare down at his now grinning friend with a slight frown. “Dude, what are you doing here?” he hissed, just loud enough to carry down to Luke but, hopefully, not disturb his parents.

Luke just smiled and waved at him. “Come down, man! We’re going for a walk.” He said it like it was the easiest thing in the world - like Reggie wasn’t confined to his house while his parents were home. They would never let him leave this late.

“What are you talking about?”

“Just come on before your neighbor lets his dogs out and they bark at me again!”

So, that’s what had upset the Myerson’s Mastiffs earlier. Reggie fought a smile and shook his head. Luke was many things, but sneaky wasn’t really one of them. “Alright, fine!” He backed away from the window and changed out of his pajamas to slip into his jeans, sneakers, and his favorite flannel jacket. He grimaced as he glanced at his bedroom door. He would need to sneak by his parents’ room and his siblings to ensure he didn’t wake anyone. His older brother wouldn’t snitch, but he couldn’t guarantee his little sister wouldn’t.

Heart hammering against his ribs, Reggie snatched up his keys and his wallet before tiptoeing down the hallway. He closed his door slowly behind him then began moving with as much stealth as possible towards the stairs.

Stealth was not Reggie’s strong suit any more than it was Luke’s, but only a few pauses on squeaky floorboards hindered his progress. When he reached the bottom of the stairs, he moved more quickly to the back door that led out to the back garden and shut the door slowly until it clicked.

“DUDE!”

After the silence of his house, Luke’s voice felt like a sonic boom to Reggie’s ears. He grunted as Luke tackled him into a hug and rubbed his back.

Despite being wired tight from sneaking out, Reggie couldn’t help but relax a great deal in his friend’s arms. Luke meant safety and comfort. The darker haired boy nestled into his friend and hugged him back, taking in the scent of a bonfire and mint. Luke’s family den had a fireplace he was fond of lying next to and writing songs in his journal.

“Hey,” Reggie greeted him as they broke apart and Luke began leading the way out of the backyard. “Why are we going for a walk again?”

“Because I said so,” Luke said simply.

Reggie fought not to roll his eyes. Luke was famous for his spontaneous outings. Last week, he had decided to cancel band practice in favor of going to the movies and cutting loose. All of them had their own family stress to deal with, so the venture had been welcomed. They had even seen a reshowing of the first Star Wars which made his whole night.

But still, he usually gave no warning and left Reggie with mental whiplash.

“Okay, man, I get it, you wanted to wonder, but I’m not sure if I’m up for it,” Reggie mumbled, pushing his hair out of his eyes and hurrying after his springy friend.

Luke snorted. “Dude, come on. You were quiet at school all day today and even at band practice.”

“I quietly contemplate things sometimes,” Reggie grumbled defensively. “What’s wrong with that?”

Luke turned to him and shook his head. “Dude, Alex literally made a Han Solo reference at lunch, and you didn’t even blink.”

Reggie stared. “Wait, Alex?!” he exclaimed.

“We were desperate to get your attention,” Luke said seriously as they turned a corner to the dark strip. Lights were still lit, showing late night clubs were open, but the restaurants were closed for the night apart from a twenty-four hour diner.

Luke opened the door, which jingled pleasantly, then stepped back to let Reggie pass him. Reggie slipped inside then sat at a booth the four band members for Sunset Curve had unofficially claimed as their own.

As Luke joined him, an older waitress with a kind smile approached them and asked for their orders.

“Coffee for me,” Luke said cheerfully, grinning widely at their hostess.

Reggie was still absorbing the fact that Alex Mercer had attempted to revive him with a "Star Wars" reference, so Luke ordered him the same and a plate of chili cheese fries.

When their steaming mugs were placed in front of them, Reggie came to somewhat.

“So, I knew you were out of it,” Luke continued as if their conversation hadn’t paused. “I figured you needed time to get away, but my parents grounded me, so I had to wait until they were asleep before sneaking out.”

The waitress put their fries in front of them, and Luke snatched one up immediately, his eyes twinkling as he smiled at his friend. There was almost always a sparkle in Luke’s eye, whether it be mischief if he was cooking up some diabolical plan or happiness when he was hanging out with his band and goofing around. Right now, that sparkle seemed kind and understanding, and Reggie knew that Luke knew exactly what had happened today and that he had needed this time away.

Luke knew more about his problems at home than the rest of his friends because he had been sleeping over during one of his parents’ shouting matches a couple years ago. The whole situation had been horrendously uncomfortable for Reggie, who had been unable to meet Luke’s eyes as he heard his parents shouting a floor below them while they had been playing video games in his room.

Instead of being afraid or asking to leave like Reggie had expected, Luke stayed and played the music louder in the room to drown out the fighting. When they had gone to bed, and Reggie had still been less animated, Luke had slept by his side so he didn’t feel so alone.

Now, three years later, Reggie felt like he was a book Luke had memorized - knowing exactly what was going to happen and what his behaviors meant. 

Unable to really put his gratitude into a lengthy sentence, Reggie simply sipped his coffee and drew comfort from the warm mug in his hands and he mumbled, “Thanks.”

The eager puppy look in Luke’s eyes had him battling a smile as he looked up. “Of course, dude.” He chomped down on some more cheesy fries and licked his fingers because Luke had the table manners of a starving hog.

After Reggie had helped himself to some fries and added sugar to his coffee, Luke wiped his mouth and leaned forward with a soft expression. “Do you wanna talk about it?”

Reggie thoughtfully chewed then swallowed and chased down his fries with coffee (which wasn’t as bad as he would’ve thought) before lowering his eyes to their mostly empty plate.

“I just… I don’t understand how they can yell at each other all night, then get up the next morning and act like nothing happened.” He huffed and pushed the plate closer to Luke, indicating he could finish the food. “Then they act all normal around me and my siblings. I know it’s all fake, but that’s not how they should be.”

Luke nodded as he drank from his own mug. “It’s not cool, but if you think about it, just a little less than two years from now, we’ll be graduating and leaving this place behind to tour.”

Reggie smiled a little. “Yeah, you’re right. I guess I can see it as my light at the end of the tunnel.”

“We’ll kick ass at all of our gigs,” Luke went on, tapping the table in his excitement. “And get a manager to organize our shows. Then it’s the whole experience: sharing our music with the world and soaking up that feeling of touching their lives.”

Now Reggie’s smile grew into a more genuine grin.

Luke’s own smile brightened, and he reached across the table to clap him on the shoulder. “There’s that smile! I missed it.” He finished off his coffee then leaned back when the waitress returned to refill their mugs and drop the bill.

Reggie reached for it, but Luke was lightning fast and snatched the slip of paper away. “Uh uh. My treat.”

The bassist sighed and leaned back. "Fine but I get the next one."

"Sure, Reg." Luke winked at him then dropped money on the table.

Their bellies full, Reggie followed Luke out and pulled his shirt closed as they made their way along the back streets towards the stretch of beach behind his house. 

Luke moved closer because he was always warmer than practically everyone, hence his lack of sleeves. 

The shared body warmth was comforting as they walked side by side along the shoreline, neither boy talking but simply enjoying the other's company.

The silence apart from the gush of the waves was peaceful for Reggie's stressed mind. He didn't even mind he was getting sand in his shoes. His best friend was with him, keeping him warm but more importantly… keeping him company. 

When they reached the back gate to his house, Reggie froze with his eyes fixed on the building he had grown up in like it was a prison. 

Warmth at his arm had him looking to his side. Luke had his own arm around Reggie's shoulders. It felt like a shield. Safety.

"We'll stay out as long as you need, Reg," Luke whispered.

Reggie slumped with relief then turned to smile weakly. "Ya know despite the coffee, I'm pretty tired now." 

Luke nodded. "Okay. Well, that was kind of the plan. The fries helped."

Reggie giggled and Luke laughed along with him. They looked at each other, and Reggie moved first to embrace his friend and hold on tightly as if this would be the last hug they would share ever.

"Thanks for taking me out, Luke. I needed it."

"I know." Luke's grip was firm as he hugged him then scratched his back through the flannel.

Reggie went limp like a cat, and Luke snickered before letting him go. "Night, Reg."

Reggie smiled and stepped back through the gate. "Night, bud. I'll see ya tomorrow for practice."

Luke smiled then hurried off towards the dark street. His house was only a few blocks away.

Sighing sleepily, Reggie snuck back inside. Once safely in his room, in his pajamas, and under the covers, he smiled into the darkness. 

Even though his family made his life difficult, his chosen family was pretty good at being there for him. Luke knew he needed a pick-me-up, and he'd been there.

Remembering the warmth Luke provided as well as his reassurances for after graduation, Reggie snuggled into his pillows and drifted off into a peaceful sleep.


	2. Snuggles

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this one was written a little bit ago when practicing script writing, so no prompt for this one. :)
> 
> enjoy! <3

_I'm late! Late late late LATE!_ Julie mentally chanted in a panic as she sprinted towards her garage, her backpack thumping against her with all the might her textbooks could muster.

She had been distracted while writing lyrics for a new song at the end of her last class and missed the bus, which meant she had to walk home.

Walking was not an option. She had to run full out just to have a prayer of being on time for band practice. It wasn't as if the boys needed to stick to a schedule (save for Alex who had his occasional dates with Willie), but she didn't want to be late. She felt like she was letting her bandmates down if she arrived when they had already started.

Luckily, she managed to get home only being about ten minutes late, which she considered an achievement because she lived fifteen minutes from her school.

Julie stopped clumsily in her driveway and discarded her backpack as she struggled to catch her breath. She was likely to have a bruise on her side from the beating her battering ram of a backpack gave her, but at least she was here now and ready to practice.

She was so busy making sure a reasonable amount of oxygen was getting into her lungs, she didn't notice Alex right away who was standing outside the closed garage doors. He was peeking inside in a vaguely familiar manner as he looked in and observed… something with a bright smile on his face.

"Alex?" Julie asked once her voice started to work again. 

Alex turned and waved his hands at her in a shushing motion. "Don't say anything!" He said in a high whisper. "Just come over here and look."

"Look at what?" Julie whispered curiously as she slowly approached the garage door. She frowned because she was too short to reach the window, so Alex retrieved a stool for her from the house. She stepped up and peered through the window.

Her heart warmed and a bright smile appeared on her face as she took in their other two bandmates sound asleep on the pullout couch.

Reggie was curled up on the queen sized bed the couch made. His hair was a little rumpled from sleep, and his flannel was laying over his middle like a hastily added blanket. His knees were pulled up a little, giving him the look of a child curling up in a small space. His face was peaceful as he slept, his mouth open slightly. 

Behind him was Luke. The electric guitarist had his cheek resting on a pillow behind Reggie's head. His own expression was more relaxed than Julie had ever seen it. Normally, Luke's eyebrows were animated whether because he was frowning, scowling, or giving his friends puppy-dog eyes when he wanted something to go his way. However, while he slept, his browline was smooth and free of stress lines.

One of Luke's arms was slung over Reggie's waist. The way he held him seemed very protective to Julie. Whether they fell asleep like that on purpose, it didn't matter. They fit together perfectly with Reggie curled up the way he was.

"I always knew Reg was a little spoon," Alex said smugly.

"They're so cute!" Julie squealed as quietly as possible. "Do they always nap like this?"

"I honestly didn't know we could nap," Alex muttered back to her. "I wonder if we can dream…"

Julie frowned thoughtfully. "I think we should ask them when they wake up… but for now, we should really leave them to-"

Alex smirked as Julie bit down on her gasp.

Reggie was suddenly twitching in his sleep. His eyebrows were scrunched together, and his mouth was pressed hard into a thin line.

Julie fidgeted, not wanting her friend to be in distress, but Alex just shook his head and whispered, "Wait."

As they watched, Luke sleepily scooted even closer to their bassist. His movements were a little clumsy because he seemed to not be fully awake - moving more on instinct. 

Luke's hand, the one around Reggie, felt down Reggie's own arm until he found his hand. He gripped onto his fingers and squeezed gently before moving his hand up and down Reggie's arm.

Alex and Julie stared at each other with rounded eyes before looking back as Reggie's expression slowly softened and smoothed out; Luke's touch appeared to chase away whatever was interrupting their peaceful nap.

"I think we should go," Alex murmured. "They'd kill us if they caught us spying."

Julie snickered and jumped down from her stool. "They're so adorable! I think we can skip practice for today. " she frowned back at the doors then up at Alex. "I guess even musician spirits need their rest, too."

Alex grinned and followed her away from the door. He didn't mind hanging around the house and enjoying the one-sided company of Julie's father and brother. They could chill while their guitar players spooned and got their rest.

They were opening the front door when Julie turned to Alex and gave him a firm look that would've done her mother proud. "Don't you dare tease them later!"

Alex snickered. "Wouldn't _dream_ of it."


	3. Bottled

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> prompt: "Reg has closure with his family & luke comforts him about it."

Reggie thought that unfinished business meant peace. He thought it meant accomplishing the main goal in his life that death had taken away from him. He had assumed achieving his unfinished business would mean he could move on and crossover with his friends.

He was wrong.

It turned out his unfinished business hadn’t really involved his parents at all - at least not directly.

Even though it had been over twenty-five years ago, Reggie remembered in great detail the night he had left - when he had finally had enough. Not long after Luke had left his parents, Reggie had realized his parents were escalating in their fights. Before, growing up, they usually aimed their hostility at each other, but… that night, his father had decided to direct his anger at his oldest child.

Reggie closed his eyes, remembering the burning fury in his father’s eyes as he screamed and berated him, mostly for being in a band and listening to music all of the time.

He had always gotten decent grades, listened and did his chores… He couldn’t understand why he was being treated like a waste of space.

_“You need excellent grades for college, Reginald!” his father had shouted, his face purple and his fists clenched. “If I catch you playing that noise you call music, that bass guitar is going into the trash where it belongs!”_

_Hot tears had burned his eyes, but Reggie hadn’t let them fall until he was safely confined to his bedroom where he sat for a long time, contemplating his next move. He was seventeen with eighteen and freedom just out of reach… What could he do? Luke had already run away. Could he do the same?_

_His mental health and, therefore, his grades had suffered from the constant stress of hearing his parents scream and blame each other for every little problem they faced. The yelling kept him awake, and the aftermath made it hard to have a peaceful sleep. Napping during class was a new habit. Alex often gave him his notes, but this did little to help with his participation._

_Reggie decided then he needed to leave. He wouldn’t let this mess spread to his hand and affect their music negatively. Their band was all Luke had left, and he, Reggie, would not be responsible for Sunset Curve falling apart._

_So, he crouched down and pulled his duffle bag. He began to pack it with clothes, making sure to pack his flannel and pack of guitar picks. He stalked into the bathroom and snatched up his tooth brush and favorite hair gel. After shoving them into his bag and yanking the zipper closed, he sat mechanically on his bed and stared blankly at the stuffed pack._

_He had one step out of the way. He just needed to leave which would be a thousand times harder than he could’ve imagined._

_Reggie was feet from the front door with his duffel bag in hand and his encased bass guitar strapped to his back when an angry snarl had his muscles turning to ice._

_“REGINALD!”_

_Turning his head with his hand on the doorknob, Reggie faced down his father. His throat hurt from suppressing his tears. His parents frightened him with their fights and screaming, but a part of him still loved them despite that._

_“I’m leaving,” he said softly._

_“What did you say to me, boy?” snarled his father._

_He gulped and lifted his eyes to meet his dad’s furious ones. No love shined back at him, and that was enough to make his next words easier. Stronger._

_“I said I’m leaving,” Reggie said more firmly, channeling Luke’s rebellious side when he went up against authority. Luke didn’t ask for permission. He went for what he wanted, and right now, Reggie wanted to leave. “I can’t take this anymore.”_

_He turned the knob, opened the door, then made to walk out._

_A loud BANG had him wincing and instinctively hunching his shoulders to be less noticeable. Ever since he was a kid and first experienced his parents’ fight, his reaction had been to hide or make himself invisible while the atmosphere in the room grew steadily thicker with tension._

_His father had a hand clenched on the wall beside the doorway. For a terrifying moment, Reggie thought his father was going to swing at him, but then he just lowered his face close to his oldest son’s, close enough to spit as he growled, “If you walk out that door, you will not be welcome back, Reginald.”_

_Feeling as if a hunk of clay was lodged in his throat, Reggie swallowed and croaked out, “Okay.” Then he bolted away into the night before he could break down in front of his father._

It was only later that he realized his little sister had been huddled in the hallway, witness to the whole thing.

Now, Reggie had tracked down his sister. She was only a few miles outside of LA with her own family and children. Her youngest boy reminded Reggie of himself. Seeing the little boy get excited over _Star Wars_ and play with a lightsaber nearly made ghost Reggie tear up.

After Julie talked with Molly in her kitchen, it became apparent that she had never even heard her brother play music: his solace when the fights in their house became unbearable. A smiling Julie had brought the old Sunset Curve CD to play for Molly.

Reggie’s sister had teared up, recognizing her brother’s voice even after all this time.

Just a few feet away but visible only to Julie, Luke and Alex had hugged Reggie as his sister heard the music that he had made with his best friends. 

A tearful Molly had thanked Julie, and the boys had poofed back to the garage.

Alex, after seeing how upset Reggie still was, poofed out to leave Luke and him alone.

Reggie dropped on the couch and put his face in his hands, all of the emotions breaking out like a burst dam. He choked and then the sobs escaped him, breaking loose after being trapped for so long. Had he not been a ghost, the entire street would’ve known of his misery.

Luke, ever the softy when it came to his friends (namely Reggie), put a blanket around his friend's shoulders and pulled him close.

Reggie was barely aware of his own body as Luke rubbed his back and shifted him around. He hid his face in Luke’s shoulder as the sobs were ripped from his throat. All of the trauma and suppressed emotions he had kept bottled up for so long were out to the world.

Luke held Reggie against his chest and rubbed his back, his hand occasionally reaching up to play with his hair as he comforted his friend.

“It’s okay, Reg. Just let it out,” he murmured into his ear.

Reggie whimpered and gripped onto Luke’s shirt like it was his only lifeline in this ocean of pain and uncertainty. 

Luke rested his chin on top of Reggie’s dark hair and breathed evenly to get his friend to sync up his breaths with his own.

After some time, neither was sure how long, Reggie’s sobs subsided. He sniffled as he rubbed at his eyes with his sleeves and blinked down when he realized his legs were across Luke’s lap. He was also snuggled up against his friend's side. He hiccupped and leaned into him again, his breathing shaky as he worked on centering himself.

Luke rubbed warm circles into his back which helped him relax and settle down. Now exhausted from his crying and overall emotional day, Reggie went limp as he closed his eyes, enjoying the warmth and safety his friend’s arms provided.

“Don’t go,” Reggie mumbled, exhausted from the day he just had.

“I’m not going anywhere,” Luke murmured. “I’m staying right here.”

They stayed like that late into the night, falling asleep cuddled up together.


	4. Storm

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> totally random and i needed a fluff buffer from some other angst prompts. i saw a tweet about Reggie being scared of thunderstorms and ran away with it... :)

Whoever came up with the idea that angels were playing bowling to explain the racket outside needed to go to hell, Reggie thought bitterly as he turned over in his bed again. Bowling was supposed to be a fun activity you enjoyed with loved ones: cheering them on and getting excited for them even when they got a gutter ball. He had gone to the bowling alleys several times with Luke, Alex, and Bobby, and those had been fun. This. This was not fun. The opposite of fun in fact.

Reggie had always been afraid of loud noises ever since he was a kid, and the arguments his parents got into would almost shake the house. The only loud noises he was comfortable with was the music he and his bandmates made while they played. Anything else from cars backfiring, to fireworks, to jackhammers sent him into an instant panic that had him turning into a statue. His friends had to pull him out of it more than once, and the experiences had left him ashamed to talk about his fears. 

So, now he was suffering in silence and not trying to message his friends from his computer. He could get through this. Sixteen year-olds shouldn’t be afraid of thunderstorms. They should be fearing dating, acne, and calculus tests. 

Okay, so Reggie was afraid of those, too, but that wasn’t the point. Loud noises scared him, and thunderstorms were the worst because they were the loudest and hardest to escape.

The storm had been raging for hours and didn’t seem to be letting up any time soon. Normally, Reggie would try and wait it out by covering his head with his pillow and counting down from two hundred. If that didn’t work, he would put his Walkman in his ears and let the sounds of classic rock drown out the thunder. That always worked when he was trying to go to bed and his parents were fighting. The problem was, his Walkman currently resided under his bed - in pieces. 

After coming home from school the day before, Reggie had made the mistake of putting his backpack on the ground beside the door when he went to grab a snack from the kitchen. He never did that because he normally brought it up to his room, but his stomach had overpowered him, so he had just dropped it and dove in to explore the fridge.

What he did not expect was his father to come home early. As per usual, he was in a decent mood until one little thing set him off. That thing today was Reggie’s backpack. He opened the door, and Reggie heard the ominous sound of crunching.

“REGINALD!”

His heart had plummeted. What followed was a loud lecture about him leaving his backpack on the floor… even though he literally never did it after being berated for doing it when he was, like, six. It was the one time when he got home before anyone and stopped for a snack, and, of course, it resulted in him getting told off.

The crunching sound had been his Walkman breaking under his father’s foot, so he didn’t have a way of covering up the loud crashes.

So, long story short he was miserable. He didn’t have a way to distract himself, and the storm wasn’t allowing him to sleep.

He rolled over to look at his Han Solo alarm clock. 1:26 am.

Great.

Reggie put his face in his pillow and groaned before sitting up and getting out of bed. He needed to find a way to drown out the sound. Maybe if he laid on the floor near his speakers… He got down and turned on the speakers, where the sounds of guitar riffs instantly calmed him. He sighed in relief and grabbed his pillow and blanket. He couldn’t blast it and wake up his family, so he got as close as he could with the volume at its lowest setting and laid down. 

He was starting to actually relax and fall asleep when the loudest BOOM yet shook the house, and the music stopped. Reggie looked up, and the lights that normally told him the speaker was on and functioning were dim.

The power had just gone out.

This was just perfect. Could the universe not give him a break this week? Just once!?

Shaking, he sat up and put his face in his hands. He just wasn’t winning tonight.

Tears were threatening him when he heard a loud tapping outside. He looked up and saw a dark shadow looming behind the curtains. He fought down a scream until the shadow raised its arm and tapped at the glass again.

“Reg? You there?”

Heart in his throat, Reggie jumped up and pushed back the curtain. A soaked and beaming Luke was standing outside his window. His brown hair was plastered to his head, and he was wearing a ridiculous yellow raincoat.

Reggie opened his window, and Luke slipped in. Panicking, Reggie raced for a towel, and Luke chuckled as he dried at his hair with it. “‘Sup, dude?” he asked casually as if he hadn’t just snuck into his friend’s room at almost two in the morning soaking wet.

“What are you doing here?” Reggie asked, sitting on his bed and looking up at Luke. “It’s late.”

Luke put the coat aside and continued to towel his hair as he sat beside him. “Because I was worried about you, man.” He bumped Reggie with his shoulder. “I know it’s been a rough week for ya, and… well, I know thunderstorms aren’t your favorite."

“That’s the understatement of the decade,” Reggie grumbled bitterly, wincing when another clap of thunder resounded above them.

An arm was instantly around his shoulders, and he felt warm and secure… despite the fact Luke was still a little damp from his trek outside in the storm.

“I mean…” Reggie sighed. “I shouldn’t be this afraid of storms. I’m not a kid anymore.”

Luke frowned. “There’s nothing wrong with being scared of thunder, Reg.”

Soft green eyes met Luke's before the corner of his mouth turned upward.

Then a low rumble of thunder had Reggie nearly jumping into Luke's lap. Far from caring, Luke smiled a little and rubbed his back. "Come on. Let's get some sleep. Storm or no storm, they won't cancel school unless the power gets knocked out."

"I almost hope it does," Reggie grumbled as they got under the blankets. He shyly scooted back to give Luke space, but his friend had other ideas. 

Luke pulled Reggie close to him and rubbed his arm in a soothing circle pattern. He snorted once Reggie relaxed. "Nah. They have these backup generators that could survive a direct lightning blast. I think we'll have school."

Reggie shook his head at Luke's goofiness then laid his head down on the pillow next to his. He pondered as Luke stared thoughtfully up at the ceiling, but he eventually worked up the nerve to ask, "How did you know I needed you?"

A flash of lightning illuminated Luke's face. His hazel eyes twinkled as he looked over at his friend. "You didn't say in school, but I noticed you didn't have your Walkman at lunch yesterday or today. You're practically glued to that thing." He squeezed Reggie's shoulder when the thunder preceding the lightning flash rattled the house, and he found it wasn't so bad with Luke here. "What happened to it?"

"My dad stepped on it," Reggie mumbled, dropping his gaze. "It was my fault, though."

Luke huffed like he wanted to argue, but a long look at how tired Reggie looked and how defeated he sounded had him biting his tongue. They would talk about that later.

"You can borrow mine until we get you a new one," Luke murmured. "With our luck, we'll have another storm soon, and I dunno if I can canoe all the way up the street again."

Reggie giggled, imagining Luke in his yellow raincoat and weighters trying to paddle his way up the street in an inflatable boat.

"Get some rest," Luke said softly, turning over and giving Reggie his back.

When thunder rumbled again, he scooted closer to Luke so that they touched. That little bit of extra warmth and Luke's presence helped calm his frantic heart. With Luke here, the storm wasn't nearly as scary. The thought helped his tense muscles melt and allowed him to relax.

He was able to fall asleep at last listening to the low sounds of Luke's breathing and the soft tapping of the rain against his window.


	5. Eyeliner

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> prompt: "OMG maybe luke putting on reggie's eyeliner or painting his nails for him (or vice versa)??"
> 
> (( roughly based on my first experience with eyeliner ))

"Stop squirming, Reginald!"

Reggie scowled up at Luke who was holding an eyeliner pencil and looking on the verge of either hitting him upside the head or bursting into a fit of laughter. 

"What if you poke my eye out?" The bassist demanded, still leaning a little away from his friend's hand.

The lead singer for Sunset Curve rolled his eyes. "Dude, I won't. Alex's sister showed me how to do it without poking eyeballs."

"She only helped you because she thinks you're cute," Reggie grumped as he slowly sat up straight. He gazed into the vanity mirror across from them to see his own nervous reflection blinking back at him.

Luke huffed. "Well, then she has good taste," he said dismissively as he turned Reggie's face up to him. "Now hold still. Some of the best rockers out there wear eyeliner. It makes their eyes pop on stage." Luke frowned and held up the pencil. 

Reggie winced as if he had an ice cube dropped down his shirt, and Luke sighed. He grabbed Reggie's cheeks and looked him in the eyes. "It's gonna be okay. I promise. If it looks bad, we can wash it off."

The darker haired boy frowned then nodded.

"Okay. Close your eyes but not tight."

Reggie obeyed and then fought not to wince when the pencil brushed over the edge of his eyelid.

"This is so much easier to do on someone else," Luke was saying, one of his hands resting on Reggie’s forehead to keep his face turned up into the light.

Reggie just grunted in response. 

Luke moved on to the other eye. Reggie tried to open his finished eye to sneak a peek, but Luke's face blocked the mirror.

The lead guitarist smirked. "Looking good, dude."

"If you make me look like a raccoon, I swear-"

"I will not!" Luke hissed, clearly offended. "I won't overdue it. Just enough to make your eyes stand out."

"Why do they need to 'stand out' again?"

Luke paused and turned his face to catch Reggie's gaze. "Because you have pretty eyes, dude…" he faltered then cleared his throat. "Girls dig that. Anyway, shush and close again."

Reggie closed his eyes and fought the embarrassed heat creeping up his neck...

However, Luke poking the pencil against his waterline had him forgetting his flushed state very quickly.

"Ugh! That's so weird!" Reggie protested as Luke had him tilt his chin up and stare at the light fixtures in their garage. Reggie dearly wished he could leap up there and hide to avoid this torment.

"Stop being a baby," Luke chastised him. "You made it this far."

"But I can see the sharp point coming _at_ my eye!"

"You wouldn't if you just freaking looked up!"

Scowling, Reggie rolled his eyes then kept them fixed on the ceiling. He heard Luke snicker and wanted to kick him. After a few seconds, he got used to the sensation and relaxed a fraction.

After Luke declared himself satisfied, he stepped back and let Reggie check himself out in the mirror.

He stared and pushed his dark hair back out of habit, now a little rumpled after Luke had to constantly push it away to keep it out of his eyes.

His eyes were light colored but varied between a stormy blue and a green shade depending on lighting and what he was wearing. Right now, in his leather jacket and dark top, his eyes looked darker, and the eyeliner made his gaze even more intense.

"Whoa…" 

"Right!?" Luke jumped up and squeezed his shoulders from behind before looking over his shoulder. "We're all gonna wear the make-up at our next gig! Alex mentioned painting his nails, but I don't know if I'm that brave." He tilted his head thoughtfully like a curious puppy. "Maybe Bobby can be my guinea pig for that one."

Reggie laughed and shook his head. "Hey, do you still have that Polaroid camera? We should memorialize this."

Luke hurried over to the corner and retrieved the camera he had snagged at a junk shop and stood beside Reggie.

They put their arms around each other's shoulders while Luke held the camera up above their heads. They counted down then took the picture and grinned when the little photo developed before their eyes.

"That's one for the keeps," Luke declared as he took the photo and taped it to the mirror among several others. "When we travel all over the world for tours, I'm taking these with me."

Reggie smiled and checked himself out in the mirror again which had Luke snickering behind his hand until Reggie thumped him.

"Dude, let's find Alex! He needs to get in on this, too!" Luke snatched up his camera and the make-up bag he had borrowed from Alex's owner sister. 

Reggie hurried after him, knowing Alex probably wouldn't be so compliant to holding still and getting his eyes poked at by Luke. It didn't matter, he supposed, since they were doing it for their band. 

He was right, and Alex was none too pleased about having Luke having a sharp-pointed object in his hand. Alex ended up not only applying his own liner but forcing Luke into a chair and doing his for him.

The photo afterwards would be one of their funniest memories ever: Alex sporting thick liner with Luke looking like he tried to imitate a panda. They laughed long after the Polaroid developed.


	6. Each Other

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> just a comforting one-shot.
> 
> this would take place right after leaving Julie's school when the boys miss their gig at the dance.
> 
> enjoy! ♥

"Reg, it's not that bad."

Luke was shutting the garage door behind him as he watched Reggie flop onto the couch and stare up at the ceiling.

"We'll make up with Julie. We… we screwed up, but we can fix this." Luke slowly and quietly approached Reggie like one would a scared puppy.

Reggie sniffed and turned his head to look over as Luke dropped on the couch beside him.

"It's not… just that but the jolts and… and we missed so much."

Luke frowned as he shrugged off his jacket and tossed it aside. "You mean the whole Han Solo thing?"

Reggie scowled at him. "It's not just that. It's… twenty-five years gone in the blink of an eye for us!" He threw his hands up then slapped them against his thighs. 

"Yeah… I know. It's hard for me to believe, too," Luke said gently, reaching out and patting Reggie's shoulder. "But we're here with Alex."

Their drummer was off contemplating his guilt and his crush on Willie somewhere. Luke had left him to sort it out, but told him to poof home if he needed them.

So, it was just the two of them for now, but his point still stood.

"Yeah, at least we have each other," Reggie murmured, sighing as he repeated the words he had told Julie the other day before she tried to go after them for stealing the poem about Flynn.

Luke smiled weakly and scooted closer. "We do have each other. So, stop pouting. We'll figure this out with Julie." He paused then smirked. "Nothing I can do about Jar Jar, though. Sorry."

Reggie pulled a face, and Luke snickered. 

When the darker haired boy continued to look unhappy, Luke nestled up to him, never having been one to be shy about physical affection. 

Giving him the side eye, Reggie slowly leaned into him, but Luke felt like he was hugging a statue with how rigid and cold he was.

"Reggiiiiie," Luke whined. "Hug me baaaaack!"

Reggie chewed his lip, clearly fighting not to laugh at his friend's goofiness. "Nooooo," he replied in the same drawn out tone.

Luke pulled his puppy dog look which Reggie pointedly ignored. 

Feeling like he was running out of ideas, Luke decided to pull out the big guns. He sat up and said offhandedly, "Fine. I give up. Just sit here and pout."

Slowly, Reggie uncrossed his arms and frowned before reaching over his head in a long stretch. 

That was exactly what Luke had been hoping for. He smirked while keeping his eyes averted before reaching over and grabbing Reggie's side. He dug his fingers into his stomach, to which Reggie let out a soft yelp before dissolving into giggles.

He hunched over in an attempt to escape the tickling, but Luke reached around him and got his less-protected side.

Reggie’s laughter warmed Luke's heart and gave him hope that they could get through this. Despite them missing their gig with Julie on top of absorbing the fact twenty-five years had gone on without them, they were all friends and had each other's backs.

Eventually, Reggie managed to break free and staggered several feet away, cheeks flushed from laughing and a grin on his face.

"There's that smile," Luke said, half smugly and half affectionately. 

Reggie stuck his tongue out like a child then dropped back down beside him. 

"Thanks for that… I needed it."

Luke bumped his shoulder against his in reply.

Reggie frowned again. "We need to figure out how to make up with Julie, though."

"We've got this," Luke said confidently. "We'll talk to her when she comes home from Flynn’s."

Reggie nodded and leaned his head in Luke's shoulder. His body was a lot softer than before as he snuggled closer.

"What do we do while we wait for Alex?" he asked with a little yawn.

Luke smiled when he spotted Julie's laptop. "We figure out how to watch movies and binge until we fall asleep." 

Reggie nodded, so after some trial and error, they got the laptop running, and they put on _Star Wars_ (the originals only for the sake of Reggie's sanity) and fell asleep together on the couch.


	7. Normal

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> prompt: platonic flirting is so fun until you accidentally catch feelings.

"Hey, gorgeous."

Luke poofed in the garage and grabbed Reggie’s shoulders as he pretty much always did in greeting the bassist. 

Alex watched in amusement as Reggie relaxed under Luke's touch. They had been working on a melody for a new song and were stressing on it since their next gig was this weekend. 

With Luke here they could work faster, but the weird flirting they did with each other didn't escape his notice. 

Reggie turned his face up to smile at Luke upside down. "About time you showed up. We almost finished the song without you."

Luke pulled a face. "Well, good luck with that when I'm literally our song writer."

"And Julie," Alex put in. "She went to get juice for herself, but we have a pretty good start so far."

Luke dropped on the floor at Reggie’s feet with his guitar and strummed the cords absently as Alex showed him what they had so far.

Julie returned and smiled as she greeted Luke before sitting at her keyboard. "Okay, this is what we have so far…"

Reggie leaned forward with his hands on Luke's shoulders to read the words they had. Luke peered up at Reggie with a small smile that Alex noticed, but he might be the only one...

After a couple of hours of brainstorming, they had a majority of the song written. Julie went to have dinner, so the boys lingered in the garage to practice. 

Luke gestured for Reggie to join him at his microphone and smirked at him as they belted out the newly formed lyrics. Their faces were only a few centimeters apart. 

Alex watched as Luke appeared to wink at Reggie impulsively. The darker haired boy flushed before smirking back.

_What in the world?_

Reggie jumped away, shredding on his guitar with his usual energy. 

Alex decided to keep his mouth shut because he was not about to get into this.

When their practice was done, Luke whopped and bounced over to put his arms around his smiling bandmates.

"We are gonna smash this gig, boys!"

"Yeah we will!" Reggie agreed eagerly. He bumped Luke with his hip, and the other boy responded with ruffling Reggie's hair.

Alex smiled when Reggie giggled and pulled away from Luke's grip.

"So, why don't we check on our favorite family?" Alex suggested. 

The three of them poofed into the Molina house without further discussion. They loved hanging around Julie's family even if she was the only one who could see them. 

Carlos was talking about baseball practice with Ray while Julie finished her dinner. She caught sight of the boys smiling and waving at her from the corner and rolled her eyes to indicate she had seen them. 

Reggie bounced forward eagerly to listen in on Ray's conversation with his son. The bassist had been oddly attached to Julie's father since they started hanging out more.

Alex suspected it had something to do with Reggie's real father never really paying attention to him, so he kept quiet generally about the one-sided conversations Reggie had with Ray. Even if they were a little strange.

Julie grimaced when Reggie leaned in between Reggie and Carlos, but they obviously didn't react because they couldn't see him.

Out of the corner of his eye, Alex watched Luke begin to sneak up behind Reggie, who was too busy listening to the conversation to notice. 

Julie's eyes widened in warning, but it was too late.

Luke tackled Reggie which caused the pair of them to go through the table and crash on the ground. They passed through the table, but hitting the ground caused the floor to shake.

Carlos jumped and nearly sent his glass sideways while Ray caught his own. "What the heck was that!?" Julie's little brother choked. 

Julie grimaced. "Maybe we're having mini earthquakes." Under the table, she took advantage of her new ability to touch the boys by kicking Luke in the side.

He yelped then barked a laugh. He was such an idiot.

Alex rolled his eyes and knelt to see Luke had Reggie pinned and was laughing at his shocked face. 

"Gotcha!" Luke cackled.

"What was that for?" Reggie complained, but there was color in his cheeks.

Luke smirked. "What are you talking about? You clearly _fell for me_ , Reginald."

Alex managed to turn his snort of laughter into a violent sneeze when he saw Reggie's eyes become wide like a deer in the headlights.

Ray and Carlos went to put away the dishes, so Julie knelt down to scowl at the pair of giggling fools.

"You two are unbelievable!" she hissed.

"Sorry!" Reggie and Luke said at the same time. Then they started laughing again, and even Julie was pulled in with her own giggles.

☆•☆•☆•

When it was time for bed, the boys popped out the queen bed that came out of the couch and laid out the comforter. They were dead but still liked the comfort of a blanket.

Alex climbed in, pulling a pillow to his stomach and falling asleep quickly.

Luke hopped in and turned around when Reggie hesitated. 

"Reg? You okay?"

"Um…" the darker haired boy fidgeted. "Yeah… fine." When Luke meant to turn over, Reggie blurted, "Is it normal?"

"Is what normal?" Luke asked in a hushed voice so as to not wake up Alex.

Reggie played with his flannel sleeves pulled up over his wrists for bed. "The like… flirting we do? Do friends normally do that?"

Luke frowned. "Pretty sure. Julie and Flynn do it all the time."

Reggie blinked. "Aren't they together now?"

Luke froze as he finally understood something then snorted to play off his momentarily malfunctioning brain. "Uh… yeah but like… it's not the _exact_ same."

"Oh…" Reggie sounded almost disappointed as he got into bed and gave Luke his back. "Just wanted to check…"

"Right." Luke watched Reggie for a long time, his mind feeling like it was trapped on a roller coaster going up and down. Did he have feelings for Reggie that went beyond friendship? Sure, they'd been close for ages, but he never thought he could have a crush on him… or vice versa.

Luke scooted closer and touched his friend's arm. Reggie turned his head.

"Do you wanna cuddle?" Luke asked, pulling his famous puppy dog eyes.

Reggie smiled. "Yeah, okay. I'm the big spoon."

"You wish, Reginald."

Luke smirked when Reggie turned pink and allowed him to pull him against his chest. They snuggled and Luke felt Reggie relax as their breathing calmed. They found comfort in each other's touch.

It takes Luke a few minutes to fall asleep because his brain is too busy swarming with confusing thoughts. When did the flirting with Reggie become… not teasing?

He wasn't sure. As Reggie snored softly and Luke held onto him, fierce protective feelings ignited in his chest he hadn't experienced since Alex's parents had given him the cold shoulder after coming out. 

Reggie had been his best friend for years. Now… he wasn't sure where they stood. But he was happy. He was excited at the idea of seeing where these newfound feelings could go, too.

He held onto Reggie and rested his head behind his, falling asleep and feeling at peace with his two best friends on either side of him.


	8. Seriously?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> prompt: "I’m late but Luke making Reggie trap a spider under a cup and take it outside during a songwriting session."
> 
> (( I didn't notice until after writing it that they put 'songwriting' in specifically. it's a jam session. ♥ ))

Band practice was going as it always did: Luke jamming out on his guitar, Alex banging on his drums and twirling his drumsticks in between beats, and Reggie making sure his low bass chords intermingled well.

They all became like a single entity when they played together: their individual instruments combining to create the sound that was uniquely theirs. Their synchronization made practices fly by, and they always had such a great time together. The entire band got very into the music, so little could really distract them.

“DUDE WHAT THE-!!”

Luke suddenly leapt up onto the ladder leading up to the loft, staring in horror down at the floor as if it had burned him.

Thinking this was him playing on Julie’s explanation of the game “the floor is lava”, Reggie’s first reaction was irritation; they had been so in the zone.

“Man, this isn’t the time for games,” Reggie said irritably as he put his guitar on its stand. The vibe was definitely killed, but they could take a break. 

“I ain’t playin’ games!” Luke said in a voice a few octaves higher than normal, still up on the ladder like a treed cat. “There’s a-... a sp-spi-”

Alex put down his drumsticks and gave Luke a flat look. “I swear, if you stopped practicing because of some little-”

“Dude, it’s HUGE!” Luke yelped, staring down at the floor then averting his eyes as if there was something dead down there. Apart from them, that is.

Reggie wandered over to Luke and looked down at just what was freaking him out to the point he was squeaking.

A spider was scuttling along the floor, occasionally pausing for its own spidery reasons.

Reggie looked up at Luke with a deadpan look to match Alex’s. “Seriously?”

“Seriously!” Luke growled, the aggression in his voice muddled by the shakiness.

Raising his eyes to the ceiling and wondering why he was given such a chaotic best friend, Reggie grabbed a cup from when Julie had brought juice in the night before. For once grateful for her weird habits, Reggie made sure the glass was empty before trapping the spider in it.

“There, problem solved,” Reggie said. “I’ll take it outside later-”

“NO!” Luke hissed. “Do it now!” He slipped a little on the ladder rigs and dug his fingers in.

“Do it so he shuts up,” Alex said as he pushed his hair back and stuck his baseball cap back on his head. “And we can keep practicing. Julie will freak out if she finds out we didn’t get done because Luke wet his pants over a spider.”

Luke scowled across the room at Alex much like he had the night Reggie showed Carlos and Tia Victoria that ghosts were, indeed, haunting their house. 

“I didn’t wet my pants!” he protested, looking ready to fight but unable to get down from his safety perch.

“Yeah, cause you’re dead,” Alex said dryly as he settled back down behind his drum set.

Reggie slowly bent down with a piece of Luke’s sheet music.

“Don’t use that!” 

“Hush, or I’ll bring it over to say hi to you,” Reggie muttered darkly as he carefully picked up the upside down glass and the paper, making his way outside. 

Once the spider was safely in the garden, Reggie returned and handed Luke back his sheet music. Luke gave the sheet a look that clearly said he was going to burn it later before snatching it back and dropping it on the table. “Anyways…”

Alex and Reggie shared a look and snickered behind Luke’s back as he grabbed up his guitar again. By the time their main guitarist had turned, the other two boys had relatively straight expressions on their faces.

 _“Anyways,”_ Alex echoed more forcefully even though he knew perfectly well he and Reggie would be quick to tell Julie about the whole incident. 

“One, two, three-!”

They resumed their practice, getting back into their rhythm and enjoying the sound they created together. 

Though Reggie noticed Luke’s eyes flickered to the floor a little more often than usual.


	9. Notes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> prompt: Person A and Person B are always passing notes in class but because of the seating chart, they have to pass their notes to Person C to get them to each other. Person C doesn't mind to pass on the notes, but not before opening them, reading them, and adding in their own silly doodles/commentary. (Persons A/B are Luke/Reggie and C is Alex)
> 
> this is an alive au. ♡

The scratching of pencils and the occasional impatient sighs were the only sounds in the classroom.

Luke sat chewing on his own pencil as he gazed at the boy seated two desks over.

The subject in question was wearing a cozy looking flannel and kept nervously pushing his hair out of his eyes. Their math quiz had been sprung in them, but Luke was too distracted to care.

His best friend, Alex, leaned over to scowl at him and completely blocked his view. 

Luke pouted dramatically, and Alex almost _almost_ cracked a smile. "Do your quiz," Alex hissed. "Quit ogling the new kid."

"How can I not?" Luke whispered back, half glancing at their teacher who was grading the previous class's papers. "Have you seen them?"

Alex rolled his eyes. "I'm _gay,_ not dead," he grumbled under his breath.

Luke snorted loudly which caused his teacher to look up with a scowl. Both boys ducked their heads over their papers and pretended to be working on fraction problems.

When Luke next looked up, the new kid, Reggie, was handing in his quiz and slinking back to his desk like a kicked puppy. Luke recognized the look - he wasn't feeling confident in his answers.

Alex handed in his paper at the same time as Luke and they both leaned in to talk.

"Dude, just talk to him," Alex urged. "But don't… ya know, overdo it."

Luke looked offended. "What's that supposed to mean?" he demanded heatedly while also whispering. Mostly.

Alex rolled his eyes. "You're cute, dude, but your personality can be a little… loud?" His voice went a little high at the end which ended up making his statement sound like a question. 

Luke narrowed his eyes angrily and scrunched his nose before plunging his hand into his backpack.

Alex watched him with bemusement until Luke yanked out some notebook paper and began scribbling on it.

Sighing, the blonde lounged in his seat. They had about twenty minutes left in class, so Luke had plenty of time to make a fool of himself.

Luke folded the paper in half then handed it to Alex after glancing at the teacher. "Pass it over."

Feeling like this couldn't end well, Alex took the note and slowly leaned over. The new kid, Reggie, looked up from his book and blinked as Alex dropped the note on his desk.

His eyebrows climbed his forehead as he stared down at the paper like Alex had dropped a spider there. Then he slowly put his book down and picked up the paper. He unfolded it gingerly then read it.

_**You're cute. ;)**_

Reggie turned beet red and stared at Alex with wide eyes. 

The blonde flushed, too, then shook his head in denial before leaning back to jerk his head at Luke. 

Luke smiled toothily, and Reggie crossed into new rosey territory with how much he was blushing.

Alex sighed to himself.

Reggie gulped before taking the paper and turning it over. He wrote with his own pen then folded the note over a second time, handing it over to Alex with a nervous glance in the teacher's direction.

Alex passed the note silently over to Luke who took it and opened the crumpled paper.

_**Thanks! You're cute too. :D**_

was written on the back.

Luke's cheeks felt warm, and Alex was staring at him as if he had sprouted a second head. 

"Luke Patterson _blushing?"_ Alex hissed as if he was witnessing an historical event. Luke wanted to kick him but couldn't. They were too close to the teacher to get away with that. 

Alex giggled, hiding his face in his arm.

"Ooh, Alex Mercer _giggling?"_ Luke said in a mock high-pitched voice. He scowled and rubbed at his face.

Reggie leaned around, looking a little anxious. His green eyes shyly met Luke's before he blushed and went back to burying his nose in his novel.

Luke glanced at Reggie often, but the darker haired boy never looked up again. When the bell rang, he tore out of the classroom like a bat outta hell, leaving Luke staring after him and wondering what went wrong. 

•☆•☆•☆•

"You just came on too strong," Alex said wisely as the pair of them made their way along the boardwalk that flanked the beach. "If you just talk to him like two normal people, it'll be less weird."

Luke huffed, his acoustic guitar strapped to his back as usual. He carried it so often, his guitar case was more worn down than his school bag.

"But he's cute! I'm not used to being off my game like this." Luke pushed his hair back and then planted his beanie on his head. "I usually have people falling at my feet," he grumbled wistfully. "Everyone wants to go out with me."

Alex rolled his eyes. "Our three dates don't count."

Luke gave him a wounded look which led to Alex snickering. "Dude, just talk to him and be nice but also flirty so he knows you're interested."

"So, more notes," Luke said, rubbing his hands together. 

Alex blinked at him. "Dude. I meant speaking to Reggie with _real words_."

Luke looked at him for a long time, his eyebrows turned down and biting his lip. His face had a deep look of concentration on it, and Alex knew his three brain cells were hard at work at that moment. He best not interrupt.

"Or," Luke said, coming out of his deep revery. "I could win him over with some flirty song lyrics."

"Singing to him?" Alex asked blankly.

The scruffy guitarist snorted. "No, writing them and giving them to him." When Alex looked exasperated, Luke blushed. "I don't think I could sing to him, let alone serenade him, dude."

Alex stopped walking and put a hand out to stop Luke, too. "Luke, you play and sing on the boardwalk almost every day - in front of small crowds of people."

Luke blinked. "What's your point?"

Dear lord above, he was damn lucky he was cute.

"My point," Alex said through gritted teeth, "is that you can sing and play guitar in front of dozens of people but can't play for one guy?!"

Luke gave him puppy dog eyes and Alex almost faltered. Almost. "But he's a really cute one guy."

Alex sighed and rubbed his eyes. This was hopeless. His best friend was hopeless.

They went down to the docks as per usual. They didn't make a lot of money, but Alex loved jamming out with Luke. They connected with one another and others through their music, and that feeling was one Alex wouldn't trade for the world.

•☆•☆•☆•

However, he would trade his soul to avoid having math class with a lovesick Luke.

Luke spent half the class on Friday trying to write a sweet note to Reggie without being too aggressive about it, and the other half trying to catch said boy's eye.

"Stop! I'm begging you," Alex hissed when there were only about ten minutes left, but he couldn't take it any longer. "Just hand him the damn note!"

Luke huffed. "Fine…" he handed the note over, and Alex took it. He looked over at Reggie and saw the boy had dark shadows under his eyes as if sleep was as invasive to him as common sense was to Luke.

Something was wrong. Reggie looked pale and stressed. Alex wondered if Luke noticed, but to be fair, he wasn't close enough to tell.

Alex opened the note and read it through. 

**_You have gorgeous eyes._ **

It took all of Alex's willpower not to crack his forehead against the surface of his desk. Repeatedly. 

He sighed and glanced around, but Luke was hiding his face behind his text book. On an impulse, Alex snatched up his pen and began scribbling.

 ** _Are you okay?_** he wrote on the note. _**I miss your smile.**_

He crossed off Luke's comment about the eyes because Reggie didn't seem to be in the headspace to flirt. He needed a friend.

Alex passed him the note in case Luke tried to take it back and then turned to his friend. "Reggie's not doing great," he muttered. 

Luke tensed and leaned around Alex to frown at Reggie. The dark-haired boy had opened the note and blinked. He looked over at Luke with the barest hint of a smile on his lips.

Confusion clouded Luke's expression until Alex whispered what he wrote. He looked annoyed for a few seconds probably because of Alex scribbling on his note, but then his face softened when he caught Reggie's eye.

Alex leaned back so they could look at each other. Reggie scribbled then passed the note to Alex who handed it to Luke.

Luke opened it.

_**I'm okay. Just tired. Thanks for asking. :)** _

Luke grinned and looked over at Reggie to wink. Alex kicked him lightly, and Luke lost most of his flirtatious attitude.

Sort of.

Alex spent the rest of the period editing Luke's over the top notes. He even drew smileys on them and puppies because that seemed to help cheer up Reggie. 

At one point, Reggie looked a little perkier which had been the other two boys' intention. 

Then Luke sort of blew it and started flirting again which seemed to make Reggie retreat back into himself and not pass the notes anymore. He put his head down and hunched his shoulders, giving every indication he wasn't in the mood to talk anymore.

The bell rang. Reggie tore out of class like usual, but Luke was prepared this time and hurried after him. 

This left an annoyed Alex in the dust. Luckily, he had long legs. He caught up to Luke just before he caught up to Reggie.

"Hey," Luke said as he reached out and put his hand on Reggie’s shoulder to get his attention. 

Reggie’s reaction to this was wild and unexpected. He flinched the second Luke's hand made contact with his shoulder, whipping around with a look of terror on his face. To top it all off, he tried to get away from Luke, causing him to slip and slam into the lockers before landing on his side. 

Several people passing by watched, and a few even laughed. 

Luke all but flew down to the floor to check on him, leaving Alex to awkwardly stand over them. He gave anyone who stopped to stare a sharp look which sent them scurrying off. 

"Hey," Luke murmured in a low voice Alex had only heard whenever he was trying to comfort someone. "You okay?"

Reggie shook his head, tears sparkling in his eyes as he held his elbow against his chest. Luke was careful to not to touch Reggie again as he lowered his head to meet his eyes.

The darker haired boy shook his head and began fidgeting with rings on his fingers. The habit seemed to be a nervous one, and Alex felt weirdly protective even though he barely knew this kid.

"Come on. Let's go somewhere quiet," Alex murmured. He knew something was wrong, and they needed to get away from so many stares.

Slowly, Reggie got up, rubbing his elbows. Luke avoided touching him which Alex knew was killing him. Luke loved to show affection through touch. He had been on the receiving end of many Luke Patterson hugs.

He was surprised but pleased to see his impulsive friend was reading Reggie's signals and not pushing. Now, they needed to get the new kid somewhere he could calm down in peace and not be stared at. 

"Band room," Alex murmured to Luke as they began walking with Reggie just behind Luke. "They just got out, so it'll be quiet in there."

So, that's where they made a beeline for.

•☆•☆•☆•

They hurried out of the hall and into their destination- the school's largest band room. The class had left, so the place was empty apart from the instruments. 

Reggie huddled in the corner behind the teacher's desk. Luke followed and leaned a hip against the desk. 

Alex slipped back to give them space.

Reggie stayed sitting, fidgeting with his fingers again. He kept his eyes down as Luke folded his arms and patiently waited for him to calm down.

After several moments, Reggie evened out his breathing and looked up with slightly swollen eyes. 

Luke wanted to tear apart whatever was making Reggie so upset. He didn't consider himself violent but…

"Thanks…" he mumbled. "Sorry for freaking out back there."

"It's cool." Luke smiled and crouched down to meet his eyes. "I know you don't know us but-"

"We've been passing notes all week. That's the most anyone's talked to me since I got to this school." Shiny green eyes met Luke's, and he smiled gently. 

"I was going to say if you need someone to talk to…" Luke shrugged. 

Reggie smiled weakly. "Rough week. New school. New bullies…" he shrugged. 

Luke narrowed his eyes, rage crackling in his chest like lit tinder. "Who's bullying you?"

Alex sighed. "Hey, knight in shining armor, move on."

Ignoring the flush in his cheeks, Luke shook his head. "Anyway…"

Reggie slowly got to his feet. "Thanks for bringing me back here. I needed a break."

Luke grinned as Reggie made his way to the door and leaned on it. Before he left, he turned and smiled at them. "And for the record, I think you're cute, too, Luke." He winked then slipped out.

Alex bit down hard on his lip to keep from laughing at how red Luke's face was and the fact his mouth was half open.


	10. Fixed

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> prompt: Who told you I needed fixing and what made you believe them?” // Luke to Reg 
> 
> (( tw for mentions of biphobia and unhealthy relationships. ))

Reggie was huddled on the couch in the garage, hugging his knees to his chest. His stomach was hurting with the anticipation building up inside of him for what he needed to do. What he needed to say to his boyfriend.

They were dating secretly. It was coming on five months since they made it official to only Alex and Bobby. Nobody else knew, and the world certainly didn't need to with their rising popularity as a local band.

Sunset Curve was going to play the Orpheum the following weekend: their biggest gig yet, and the idea that they would skyrocket into fame because of it simultaneously excited and terrified Reggie. On the one hand, they would have their name out, able to snag a manager and record albums professionally, go on tours, and be rockstars. Just like they always dreamed.

The problem was... that meant more attention and the greater chance of them being outed. 

Ever since Luke felt more comfortable in his sexuality, he had been dating multiple people on and off. With his lack of impulse control, he wasn't picking great partners, though, and if it weren't for the fact his bandmates were pulling him away from said toxic partners, Luke would be in a worse place than he was now.

Reggie had stepped up because 1) he was nursing his own feelings for Luke since they were younger and 2) he didn't want Luke hurting himself more by dating people who weren't going to emotionally invest in him. Reggie wasn't even sure if he could pull his friend away from his bad habits, but he had been scared for him, so he wanted to try.

Even if it meant he got outed as bi. Because he was terrified of his family finding out and disowning him before he had a chance to move out on his own.

Luke had his impulses and his one-track mind behaviors, but he was so sweet to the people he cared about. 

Luke was an amazing and sweet boyfriend. True, Reggie hadn't dated a whole lot other than a few short-term relationships with girls, but Luke just… made him feel wanted.

Whenever they met up, Like greeted him with a happy whoop and hugged him before kissing him on the cheek or lips. Reggie would get a little dizzy if it was a long kiss, but he never got tired of the feeling. 

When they were in the safety of the garage, Luke would not hesitate to show affection. Hugs from behind, back scratches, holding hands, and even pulling Reggie into his lap were common occurrences. Reggie would blush almost every time because of the open affection, but he enjoyed it.

Luke seemed genuinely happy, and Reggie was happy too, but he was also scared of being caught. Luke didn't care if people knew, but the band cared because they didn't want their chances of fame ruined. Reggie didn't want anyone he knew outside of Sunset Curve finding out because that would lead to his already hot tempered parents unleashing their wrath on him. Alex's parents had been bad enough, but at least they hadn't kicked him out. Yet.

So, he was feeling conflicted and scared. Reggie wanted to keep Luke away from those people who were just using him then bailing, but he was scared of being outed and dealing with those terrifying consequences. 

Hence why he was in the garage - alone and early for rehearsal. He wasn't sure what he wanted to say to Luke other than wanting to be honest.

Reggie loved Luke, but he also felt like he was betraying him.

The doors opened, and the last Sunset Curve member he wanted to see walked in.

Luke grinned. "Hey, bud!" He bounced over, and before Reggie could stop him, he'd put his arm around his shoulders and planted an excited kiss on his cheek. 

He shouldn’t be enjoying the feeling of Luke’s soft lips on his cheek when he was struggling with what to do with his thoughts, but he did. Safety surrounded him like a warm blanket whenever Luke was in the room with him: shielding him from his troubles and the dark thoughts that haunted him no matter where he went. Just the thought of losing that security nearly made him throw his resolve out the window, but he couldn’t. He owed Luke the truth.

“Hey, can we talk?” Reggie asked, fighting to stay of sound mind as Luke buried his face in his neck and cuddled him from behind.

Luke hummed before he climbed over the back of the couch to sit beside him. “That’s usually what people say before they break up,” he said, clearly teasing and not suspecting a thing. He grinned at Reggie, his eyes sparkling with softness and humor. Ugh, he was making this impossible with his open affections and joking demeanor. 

Reggie knew he had to stand firm, so he took a deep breath and put his bass down before facing his boyfriend of the last four months. “Luke, I… I care about you. Like a lot.” God, he was so awful with words. Except when he helped write songs, speaking was always an impulse to him or he stumbled on his speech like physical obstacles in his path. When it mattered most, he was still shaky, and that just made his anxiety spike.

Luke grinned and took his hand, playing with his fingers and disabling a few more of Reggie’s brain cells with the action alone. “I care about you, too, Reg,” he said softly.

Why did he have to be so cute? It wasn't fair.

Luke chuckled. "What did you wanna tell me, Reg?" He leaned back, and Reggie found it a little easier to focus without his boyfriend smooshed up against his side. 

"To ask you…" God, he was flustered, his hands were shaking, and he felt like his heart beating a tattoo against his ribcage. This was so hard, but he wanted Luke to be happy.

As he panicked, he couldn't help but think of all the things he treasured about being Luke's boyfriend: the nose kisses he gave Reggie while they shared a microphone; the cuddles before rehearsal where Luke showed him just how good of a kisser he was; holding hands with him when the halls were clear at school…

Which reminded him of part of the reason he was having this talk.

"Are you happy?" Reggie blurted, his nerves getting the better of him.

Luke's eyebrows scrunched in concern. "Reg, what's going on?" He tried to move closer, but Reggie unconsciously moved back so as to not be tempted to snuggle into his arms. 

This made Luke frown even more deeply. "Dude, what's wrong? You're acting weird, and you're starting to freak me out."

Reggie chewed on his lip as he fidgeted with his rings. "I just thought… if you weren't happy-"

"What gave you that idea!?" Luke demanded, starting to sound less concerned and more irritated. "Reg, the last few months with you have been the best of my life!"

Reggie's eyes widened. "Wait, r-really?" he stammered, his world thrown for a loop.

Luke got up and crossed his arms, pulling his angry puppy face that normally made Reggie smile, but he just wanted to sink into the couch and never emerge again.

"Yes, you dork!" he all but yelled. "I've been so happy, and for once, I don't have to worry about my significant other cheating on me or just saying they're dating a guitarist and make fun of my music!"

Rage rolled in Reggie's chest like distant thunder. He remembered that last girl Luke dated who bragged about being with a musician while also mocking his songs. It never made sense to him why she liked that image and at the same time called his music trash, but it destroyed Luke's confidence when he found out. 

The aftermath had been when Reggie panicked and asked Luke out before he could really think it through. Before he could process the consequences. 

Now, those consequences had come back to bite him. 

"I just… I just wanted you to…" His voice failed him as the words he had wanted to say to comfort Luke evaporated before they could be formed.

"What?" Luke growled. "Reg, just spit out!"

"You don't understand!" Reggie finally cried, the floodgates opening. Apparently enough pressure forced the words out. "You don't understand how scared I am of my parents finding out I'm dating a boy!" his voice gave out at the end and he coughed before choking back tears.

"They're bad enough ignoring me, but if they found out, they would send me off to the military or some church camp!" He blinked hard, and added quietly, "And… I don't know if I can keep this up." his last sentence was barely above a whisper.

Luke swallowed before turning his face away. 

"I get you were scared, but why didn't you just tell me?" he asked with determined patience.

"Because… I just wanted to help, and I was scared if you thought I didn't care, you wouldn't wanna date anymore." Reggie felt like a weight had lifted off of his chest with the confession, but the problem was Luke fixated on the first part.

"Help?" Luke choked, his eyes snapping back onto Reggie. "You mean like 'fix'?!"

The bassist blinked. "N-No not like that-" he stammered in a panic. Everything was going downhill so fast, and he couldn't catch up.

Luke narrowed his eyes. "Who said anything about needing to be fixed!?"

"Nobody!" Reggie said quickly, shrinking into the couch and little. He didn't have the courage to stand up and meet his boyfriend's eyes. "I just hated seeing you so miserable with those other people and-"

"So, you asked me out to _'protect me'_. You were just being a _good guy._ " Luke's voice was marinated in sarcasm. "What the hell, man!? I thought you actually cared, even lo-" Luke cut himself off and turned away, his hands in his hair.

This entire conversation was a mess. Reggie had intended to bring his feelings out into the open to make things less secretive and awkward for him, but Luke had jumped to the worst conclusion. Sure when he said it like that, the whole dating situation made it sound like he pitied Luke. But he didn't. He cared about him. They had been best friends since they were six - running around in Luke's backyard and playing games until sundown. They had formed Sunset Curve together with Alex and Bobby not far behind. They had written dozens of songs together, and had been there for each other when they were at their lowest points.

He couldn't let things end like this. Boyfriends or not, he needed Luke Patterson in his life.

Reggie finally made himself stand and approach Luke slowly as if he were a cornered animal. "Luke, I… I asked you out because I wanted to protect you. That part's right." He took a shaky breath. "But it wasn't pretend. I do care about you. I've…" He pushed his hair back, fighting the stupid heat in his cheeks. "I've had a crush on you since we were twelve, and I was figuring out I liked boys, too."

Luke turned to him slowly, and Reggie had to keep himself centered because his eyes were red and shiny with tears. His boyfriend was a pretty cryer, and even though he knew it wasn't the time to be thinking about that, he couldn't help but feel a little envious. He got snot and tears everywhere when he cried. Luek had no right looking that good when he was upset.

Shaking himself of those thoughts, Reggie cleared his throat. "I love you, Luke. And… as terrified as I am of my parents finding out, I know at the end of the day, we always-"

Luke swooped in and captured Reggie's lips with his own, his broad hands cupping his cheeks. 

Reggie instinctively grabbed Luke's upper arms and kissed him back. It wasn't until they were quiet and basking in the kiss did he realize he had tears on his face, too. Luke gently brushed them away as he pulled back. His eyes were still damp, but his toothy smile had returned.

"-have each other," Reggie finished in a voice a couple octaves higher than before.

Luke chuckled and pulled him in for a hug. Reggie buried his face in Luke's shoulder, taking in his scent of sweat, the smoky smell of the fireplace at his house, and the cologne he sometimes dared to wear around his partners or after shows.

"I love you, too, Reg," he murmured. 

They hugged each other tighter then slowly pulled back. Luke rubbed at his face then sighed and smiled weakly. "Let's just leave things out in the open, okay, Reginald?"

Taken aback by the use of his full name, Reggie pouted and felt the traitorous heat in his neck and cheeks. He crossed his arms. "Fine, but since we're leaving things in the open…"

When Luke turned to him and raised an eyebrow, Reggie grumbled, "Stop using my full name."

He grinned. "But it's so cute when you get all flustered," he kissed him on the cheek and whispered, _"Reginald._ "

Reggie spluttered, and Luke laughed out loud as he made to shove his shoulder. 

They chased each other around the garage, laughing and just enjoying one another's company. 

About an hour later, Bobby and Alex opened the garage doors to find Reggie and Luke snuggled up to one another like puppies on the couch - fast asleep.

They smiled then backed out, leaving the couple to nap in peace.


	11. Positive

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> not really a prompt. I recently opened up to my brother about some issues I went through in high school when coming out as bi, so I basically wrote myself into Reggie. it was interesting. 
> 
> remember you're loved and valid even if you don't always feel like it. ❤
> 
> tw for mentions of biphobia and some panic at the beginning.

The deafening sounds of the school bell and chattering kids flooding the halls, rushing to get home or to their next practice, were lost on Reggie's ears.

He brushed passed people hurrying to get to their destination as well as those who stopped traffic to talk with their friends, relying on people to dodge around them. He barely notified as his feet carried him, his body on autopilot and his brain a single blaring scream of panic.

He needed to get away from all this chaos and be somewhere quiet where he could think. Think and be alone. He desperately needed to be alone with his thoughts because if he didn't escape this, he was going to break down in the middle of the hallway.

Reggie thought he distantly heard someone yelling his name, but all he could focus on was leaving.

Finally, he broke loose from the sea of students and felt the warm California sun on his face. It comforted him a little, but what he needed was music and the security his room gave him.

He heard a different voice calling him, one he normally ran to whenever he was upset, but he couldn't. 

Reggie ducked his head and walked faster.

•☆•☆•☆•

After slipping passed his mom ranting to her friend on the phone about her homelife, Reggie hurried into his room and closed the door.

He kicked off his shoes and shrugged off his backpack before flopping face first into his bed and cuddling his pillow. 

Now alone, he let the scream he had been holding in for hours rip through.

He rolled over and stared at the ceiling, panting and struggling not to cry. He cried more than enough. 

But he couldn't get his girlfriend's- ...his _ex_ -girlfriend's face out of his mind. Or her words.

Starting off as what he had hoped would be a comfortable conversation turned into a fight. Then his ex told him he was going to cheat on her and there was no way she could trust him around other people. 

_"That's what people like you do," she had said harshly. "You chase anything that moves, so it's just a matter of time before you cheat!"_

That had broken his heart. They weren't super serious, but Reggie had enjoyed her company. She had been a bit of a dork, and they loved going to movies together. She even showed up to a few of Sunset Curve's gigs to support him.

After dating for a few months, he thought he could open up to her about feelings he had had since he was twelve. About being bisexual and getting more comfortable in his skin. 

He knew his parents would never be okay with him not being straight, but he had hoped his own girlfriend would be supportive and accepting. 

Reggie had been wrong. Very _very_ wrong.

She immediately turned on him and made him feel not only like a traitor but like he was some kind of problem she had to get rid of.

Now, Reggie understood how Alex felt when he came out. His own parents had turned on him, but the band had supported him through it all. Reggie knew the band wouldn't care he was bi, but his ex's rejection and sent his self-confidence into oblivion. 

Reggie fiddled with the strings on his guitar, trying to even his breathing and not breakdown. Dropping his walls had led to him getting hurt, and he supposed he shouldn't have been so open, but he thought they trusted and liked each other more than that.

It was the weekend now, so he could hide away with his own thoughts. 

For the next two days, he only left his room for the occasional meal, and he messaged the guys online that he wasn't making it to rehearsals. They had attempted to reach out, but he had logged off and ignored the messenger. 

Reggie didn't want his sour mood to affect their music. The band was doing great, and his sinking feelings wouldn't do them any good.

Plus, he was questioning his identity since the idea of telling people made his stomach ache and his throat close up. Maybe he wasn't bi and losing his mind. Maybe he was going through a weird crisis.

But he wouldn't be so miserable if he just got it together and talked to his friends. He assumed they were giving him space, but he half wished they wouldn't. Seeing them might lift his mood, but he couldn't bring himself to reach out.

So, Reggie strummed on his guitar and frowned down at the journal Luke had gotten him to write songs in. There were mostly scribbles - fractured words about confusion and questioning who he was while feeling betrayal…

He sighed impatiently and crossed out some more before pushing his bass onto its stand. He could barely focus on music, so he threw his pen aside, put his bass on its stand, and flopped onto his mattress. Reggie laid an arm over his eyes to block out some light as he closed them, his mind on his best friend. 

Whenever Luke was down, they would get together and write songs: serious ones and silly ones they would never actually perform but were fun. They had once written a song about macaroni and cheese that had Luke on his knees laughing as Reggie country-fied the song. Watching Reggie shredding on the banjo had lifted Luke's mood significantly.

He missed Luke...

The thought barely formed in his mind when there was a loud and rather aggressive tapping on his window.

He jumped and looked over to see none other than the dorky singer he had been thinking about peering in at him.

Reggie waved at him to indicate the window was unlocked, his other arm going back over his eyes. 

He heard the window slide up and the soft thud of feet hitting the floor. Reggie kept his eyes closed behind his arm as Luke sat on the bed beside him.

"Hey, man," Luke murmured softly. "I'm sorry if you don't wanna see me, but I've been worrying all weekend."

The sound of his voice alone had the tension in Reggie's muscles melting like butter, but his throat felt like he had a rock lodged in it. Speaking when he couldn't find the words always came back to bite him. Plus, he wasn't sure how he was going to vent to Luke.

What was he supposed to say?

He felt Luke move closer. Even though he couldn't see him, he felt his friend looking at him. He was practically burning a hole through his flannel sleeve with his eyes.

"Reg?"

Reggie swallowed and fought to keep his emotions in. He wouldn't let himself open up so quickly again when he still felt raw and exposed.

 _"Reggie Reg Reggie,"_ Luke singsonged. 

He fought a smile. Luke was such a dork…

"Reggie," Luke pressed, moving closer. "Earth to Reginald Peters."

And stubborn…

"Reggie, look at me, or I'm tickling you, and I _know_ your soft spots."

His arm flew off his face before he made the conscious decision to do so, and he gave his friend a dirty look.

Luke grinned, laying on his side and propping his head up on his hand like some kind of model. "Works every time."

"Jerk," Reggie mumbled, but he kept his face uncovered like he asked.

His friend had the nerve to snicker and rub his arm. "Yeah, but you love me." He sat up and lost his smile as a frown took over.

"Dude, what happened with… ya know." He meant his ex. Sunset Curve had an unspoken agreement not to mention ex's names around each other. 

"I um…" Reggie sat up and fiddled with his rings. "Look, I…" He needed to just leap off and take the plunge. Luke would never judge him. Luke had fought bullies at school who had called him stupid or geeky. He stood up for his friends. 

So… Reggie jumped. 

"I told her I was bisexual, and instead of talking with me, she told me I was going to cheat on her and make her look like a freak." Reggie hugged his legs and rested his chin on top of his knees. His eyes stared forward at his wall and not meeting Luke's. 

Luke made an angry noise and scooted forward so he was shoulder to shoulder with Reggie. "Dude, that's messed up! Do you want me to-"

"I don't want you to do anything," Reggie cut him off quickly. "Just… don't hate me, too."

An unattractive snorting noise came out of Luke, and Reggie almost smiled. 

"Dude, I don't hate you. Hating someone for who they like is just… messed up."

"Very extensive vocabulary," Reggie said dryly.

Luke blew a raspberry and bumped him. "Maybe, but I've got your back. If people wanna make stupid assumptions about you then… well, then I'll take care of it. So will Bobby."

Reggie titled his head. "You don't think Alex could handle them?"

His friend grimaced. "No, I think Alex would kill someone, and all three of us would be stuck hiding the body in a quarry somewhere."

Reggie snorted as he smiled weakly. Luke grinned triumphantly while rubbing his back. "It's nice seeing you smile. You look like a sad puppy without it."

Rolling his eyes, Reggie leaned back on his hands. "Yeah, well, I think thanks to you, I'll smile a little more." 

Luke put an arm around him and rubbed his arm. "I'm glad I could help ya, man."

They sat together in silence for a few moments, Reggie feeling lighter than he had all week. There would be other dates, but he would always have Luke and the rest of the band. They were like family. 

"So…" Luke looked sideways at him. "Are you sure about the whole… bi thing? You just didn't give me that vibe."

Reggie frowned. Luke was voicing his worst fear, and part of him wanted to curl up like a hedgehog and say he was all wrong. That he was straight. It had all been a mistake. 

But a stronger part of him was sure he was bi and he was proud. It was just hard to be proud when the people around you treated you like some contagious disease they were going to catch.

Luke wasn't treating him like that, so his confidence felt like it was getting some life breathed back into it.

When Reggie just stared at him, Luke backtracked. "Sorry! I just meant- if you were sure…"

Reggie's confidence soared to Luke Patterson levels, and before he could stop himself, he leaned in and pressed his lips to Luke's. 

His friend's lips were soft, and Luke seemed too shocked to react. Reggie pulled away quickly as he pushed his hair back out of his face, more than a little untidy after two days of it not seeing a brush.

Reggie hummed pleasantly as he smiled more broadly. "Oh, I'm _positive_ ," he said confidently. 

He grinned at Luke's stunned expression. The normally smooth and confident guitar player was looking as if someone had ripped a rug out from under him, and his cheeks were slowly turning pink.

"Cat got your tongue, Lucas?" Reggie asked, arching his eyebrow and smirking cheekily.

Luke shook himself then scowled at him. "You didn't warn me!" He grumped, shoving Reggie's chest. Reggie barked a laugh as he landed on his back and bounced on the mattress. 

"Your face!" Reggie choked. "It was great!"

"You little-"

After they recovered from their laughing fit, the two of them played video games, ordered a pizza, and just hung in Reggie's room the rest of the day. School would be hard when they went back the next day, but everything would be okay because he had his friends to pick him up and help him get through it.


	12. Swings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First, thank you all SO MUCH for getting this little collection passed 1,000 hits! I cannot even begin express how grateful I am! Nothing makes me happier than people enjoying my writing. It truly makes my days brighter. To celebrate, I'm posting two one-shots in one day!
> 
> Thank you all so much again! ♥
> 
> •☆•☆•☆•
> 
> prompt: "okay i just thought of this. Luke and Reggie go back to one of their favorite places as kids now that they are ghosts and share memories. expand on it as you will :))) (from @willexitsigns on twitter)"
> 
> some fluff to take a break from the angst. ♡

"Where are we going, Reg?" Luke asked as he followed his eager friend down a dark street he didn't recognize. 

Los Angeles had changed a lot in the last two and a half decades, so Luke considered himself lucky he had been able to find his parents' house before. This street wasn't familiar to him at all. The houses around them were new, big, and they were probably expensive being built within the last five years. How depressing. 

Well, the _street_ was gloomy at night, but Reggie radiated enough energy to power half the city. He skipped ahead then grinned and spun around. He was bouncing a lot like when they were jamming out on the beach right after coming back as ghosts. Luke thought he looked like a puppy trying to get his owner to walk faster, but Luke wasn't up to being smiley and bubbly today. 

He had been in a bad mood all day. Even ghosts seemed to have mood swings, but Reggie bad insisted on going for a walk with just the two of them. Luke knew he had epic puppy dog eyes, but Reggie could put him to shame.

So, here they were: walking down a dark street in LA with him lagging behind as Reggie all but did cartwheels on the asphalt. 

"Come on, man! This'll be so much fun!"

"What will?" Luke grumbled.

Reggie pouted, and Luke sighed. "Alright. Alright." He walked a little faster. "Why can't we just poof to where we're going?" he asked grumpily.

"Because that would remove the nostalgia from the experience!" Reggie said as if that was the most obvious answer in the world.

Luke groaned. "We're dead, dude, and our neighborhood is mostly gone. The nostalgia train has left the station."

The darker haired boy snorted then circled back to link his arm through his. "Come on! We're almost there."

When Luke groaned again (more dramatically this time), Reggie sighed. "Alright. We'll poof the last little bit."

"Thank you!"

They held on to one another and then poofed with Reggie in the lead. 

When they reappeared, Luke looked around and frowned as he took in the nearby beach with some older shops behind them. There were new houses, but the area tickled at his memory. 

Reggie giggled. "Dude, look!" He raced ahead towards a playground that looked like it had seen better days. There was a twisted slide, a straight one, monkey bars, a bouncy bridge, and several swings.

Luke's heart raced as he hurried after Reggie. He remembered this place now! His bitter mood instantly evaporated. 

"Reg," he croaked, his voice strangled with emotion. "Is this…?"

His friend had climbed up and was now standing on the bouncy bridge, grinning and jumping up and down to make the whole structure wobble. 

"Where we met?" Reggie grinned. "Yeah." He rested his arms in the rail, and Luke watched in amusement as Reggie threw his head back and smelled the evening air. He looked peaceful and happy - a sight that warmed Luke's heart.

He climbed up to join him and giggled as they bounced together on the bridge then took off for the slides. Reggie sat down, and Luke got behind him to wrap his arms around his middle.

"Remember when were little and you were afraid to go down?" Luke murmured in his ear.

Reggie frowned. "I was _six_ , man. Let it go."

Luke snickered and patted his back. "I know. I know. Okay, go!"

They pushed off, and Luke whooped as they spun around and around on the slide. Reggie's giggles lifted his spirits considerably, and as they landed at the bottom, Luke shoved Reggie playfully. 

Reggie yelped before staggering and catching himself by poofing upright. He crossed his arms and huffed. "Didn't fall," he said smugly. 

Luke snickered. "Come on, dork. Let's go do the monkey bars."

Reggie darted over to the jungle gym and jumped up. He laughed as he swung up on the bars and ended up on top.

Luke watched with amusement as Reggie climbed around. Had they been alive, he would've been more concerned for his safety. Since he wasn't, Luke was pretty sure he was safe from injury. 

Reggie squeaked when his shoe slipped on one of the bars. His arms flailed like a windmill for a moment before he caught his balance.

Okay, he was _almost_ sure he was safe. 

"Reg, get down before you get a ghost concussion," Luke barked like a concerned mama hen.

Reggie giggled at his tone and jumped down. "You worry too much, _mom_ ," he said as he shoved Luke's shoulder.

Luke narrowed his eyes playfully. "I just figured you couldn't afford to lose your last _three brain cells, Reginald._ "

When Reggie spluttered and flushed, Luke smirked and hurried over to the swings. "Come over here and push me!" He hopped up onto the swing, standing on one leg and gripping the chains. He leaned back to smile at Reggie upside down.

"Cat got your tongue… _Reginald?_ " he asked cheekily.

Reggie's eyes widened, and he huffed as he stalked over. "What have I told you and Alex about using my full name?"

"Yeah, your parents suck at naming kids, but seeing you get so flushed is just too funny." Luke giggled as he shimmied back and forth on the swing, doing his best eager puppy impression.

Reggie looked determined not to smile, but Luke knew he was cute. And he also knew Reggie was a sucker for a pretty face.

It took just a few seconds for him to crack a smile and shake his head before booping Luke on the nose. "You're a dork."

"A _cute_ dork," Luke said smugly. 

Reggie rolled his eyes, but his smile grew. "Yeah, yeah. Hang on tight. I wouldn't you to fall and lose _your_ last three brain cells."

"Touché…. Reginald." Luke barked a laugh as Reggie turned red then shoved him. He giggled and swung happily on the swing, his head thrown back to gaze up at the few stars visible. It was a dizzying but also freeing feeling, and it was like his grumpy mood never existed.

Reggie pushed him for a while then complained about wanting a turn. 

Luke jumped down and switched. He pushed Reggie, who laughed excitedly as he tilted his head back like he had. Luke smiled when Reggie met his eyes, keeping their gazes locked as he moved closer, swung back, then nearly touched noses with him.

There were few times Luke had seen Reggie so genuinely carefree. He was optimistic, cracked jokes, and flirted, but Reggie was rarely truly… happy. 

Luke knew Reggie had had a rough childhood, and going to this park together was one of the ways they could escape their lives at home. That and music.

On impulse, he reached out and grabbed the chains, stopping Reggie mid-swing. Wide, green eyes met Luke's as he smiled at his friend. 

"Having fun?" Luke asked with a low chuckle.

Reggie swallowed, his cheeks still pink. "Uh.. yeah. I mean, I came here for us both to have fun, but…"

Another impulse stole over him, and Luke leaned in close so that their noses almost touched. "I _am_ having fun. Thanks for bringing me back here, man."

"N-No problem," Reggie stammered. Luke let him go so he could go back to swinging.

"Remember when we met on that old tire swing? Looks like they finally got rid of it, but I remember you falling and breaking your arm that one time-" 

"Yeah, my mom almost broke my other one she was so mad at me," Reggie grumped. "We knew it was dangerous and still played on it."

"It was your idea!" Luke protested. 

Reggie gaped at him, still moving away and back on the swing. "It was not! It was yours!"

After staring at him for a few seconds, Luke snickered. "Oh, yeah. That was me."

"I broke my arm!" Reggie snipped.

"I signed your cast and brought you sorry cookies… that my mom made," Luke pouted. 

Reggie sighed. "Those were pretty good, yeah." He smiled again. "I forgive you."

Luke smirked. "My turn again. Hop off."

They switched again, and the pair of them enjoyed their time swinging like they did when they were kids and laughing loudly because nobody could hear them, anyway.

Well, nobody _saw_ them per se.

But someone saw the moving playground equipment. 

The swings moved on their own, and playground mulch flew up every time they stopped. It was an eerie sight to anyone who didn't know that the movements were simply two dorky ghosts reliving their childhoods.

"I knew it," Carlos whispered to his phone as he recorded the weird phenomena. "Ghosts." This was definitely going on his ghost hunting blog later.


	13. Switcheroo

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> prompt: Reggie and Luke switch jackets. ♥

Alex tapped his drumsticks against the coffee table in a nervous rhythm that sounded vaguely like the song he and the rest of the band were working on. He was the first one at the garage for rehearsal which always made him anxious. He felt awkward having to wait, and he got increasingly more stressed the longer he was alone. Should he set up? Should he wait until the others get here before doing anything? Maybe he should get food or something to fill the empty space. But what if the others didn't want food? What if they wanted something different? He should wait.

But the empty silence made the anticipation worse, so he began tapping away at random surfaces from the coffee table, to the floor, to the couch arms. He twirled them absently as he focused on "playing" to keep his mind off of the ringing silence.

Maybe ten minutes after he arrived at the garage, Bobby showed up. He looked a little winded as he put down his guitar case and tossed a water bottle in Alex's direction. He caught it and took a sip before smiling a little, the sight of another person melting his stress away just a little. 

"Hey, dude. Where've you been?" he asked, not annoyed or anything per se, but he was pretty late.

Bobby grimaced, his hair tousled and a little sweaty. "Sorry, man. Work ran over, and I got a little distracted by… um, a store display."

Alex narrowed his eyes playfully. "You mean you got distracted by a _pretty girl_ you saw through a store display window?"

Bobby smiled guiltily, and Alex chuckled. Same old Bobby. "She was cute, but at least I got you water."

"Yes, thank you for worrying if I'm hydrated." Alex's tone only had a touch of sarcasm.

They chuckled and then checked to make sure their instruments were set up and ready for when Luke and Reggie decided to grace them with their presence. Neither had said anything about being late or not showing up to rehearsal, so they should be here unless something serious happened. 

Alex's heart plummeted as he recalled an emotional conversation the rest of the band had had with Reggie just the week before. He had been enduring fights between his folks for years, but the one that had occurred the Friday before had been the loudest and the most intense one he could remember. He had been so stressed out and upset over the experience, he had packed a bag and snuck out to crash in Bobby’s garage. 

Reggie had meant to be sneaky and not be found sleeping there, but when he had been tip-toeing in, he found Luke sitting on the made-up sofa. He had been scribbling in his journal and looking worn out, but he had frozen when he spotted Reggie walking in with his own overnight bag.

He hadn't been able to escape, and as Reggie told it, he half wanted to run. But then they had decided to have a little sleepover in the garage and spend a night away from their families. Luke told them he fought with his parents but hadn't shared details.

Since then they had gone home, but if things escalated that much once, it most certainly could happen again. The thought made Alex's stomach hurt.

"Don't stress, man," Bobby said as he fiddled with his guitar. "They'll be here. Luke's almost always late."

Alex knew this, but what if it was that one time he was late because of something awful happening at home? Or what if Reggie was going through something, and Luke was there comforting him while they sat here like idiots waiting?

So, he gave them ten more minutes, which was hard, but he made himself believe he was just overreacting and needed to chill.

He was getting to his feet and had his mouth open with the intention of asking Bobby if he wanted to go check on Luke and Reggie's houses, when the pair in question came hurrying up the driveway and into the garage. 

Luke bent over with his hands on his knees and panted as he struggled to regain his breath. One of his shoes was untied, and Alex was astonished he made it all the way here without falling and scraping up his knees.

Reggie leaned against the wall, clutching a stitch in his side and pulling a face like a fish out of water. Both of them had apparently sprinted the entire way here, which was thoughtful in terms of hurrying up but stupid in the long run.

"Where the hell have you two been?" Bobby asked, watching the two panting boys with a look of concern mixed with amusement. 

"Fell… asleep…" Luke panted. "S-Sorry."

"Won't happen… again," Reggie spluttered.

Alex was shaking his head when he noticed something very interesting about the new arrivals. He knew that they all had their own styles that they loved and made a part of their image, but Reggie and Luke weren't dressed like they normally would be. 

In fact, the jackets they wore were very familiar, but he could've sworn he saw said jackets on different people this morning at school. 

He nudged Bobby, who was only a half beat behind him. He smirked when he noticed and sat down on one of the stools, propping his foot up.

"So… Luke," Alex said with a small smile on his own face as his friends recovered and began breathing normally again. "Where'd you get the jacket from?"

Luke frowned as he looked over at the drummer, his eyebrows scrunched in confusion in that animated way he had. "Dude, what are you talking about? You were with me when I picked this out."

He ran his hands over the jacket he wore distractedly. Luke's eyes widened when he felt the material and looked down slowly at his front as if a spider were crawling up his shirt. Luke was terrified of the things, so Alex recognized the face he was making as his petrified one.

"Hey, Reg, cool jacket," Bobby said with a faint smile.

Reggie perked up once he was breathing evenly again. "Thanks! I-" he blinked as he, too, ran his fingers over his sides. Alex watched the moment Reggie realized he wasn't feeling soft flannel but rough denim. His eyes widened as he clutched at the sleeves then turned a horrified face to Luke.

Luke looked equally as shocked and embarrassed as Reggie. He and the bassist locked eyes, and Alex watched identical patches of pink bloom on both boys' cheeks. 

"Care to explain?" Alex asked as he folded his arms across his chest and chuckled. Bobby snickered behind his hand. 

"Um… so…" Luke looked at Reggie who was encased by Luke's bleached denim coat that almost touched his knees. Meanwhile, Luke wore a red and black flannel that looked a little snug on his shoulders. 

Alex and Bobby continued to watch the matching smug grins when Reggie finally cracked. 

"We napped together," he said quickly. He was fidgeting with his rings - a nervous habit he had yet to kick. He did it less than he used to, but when he was caught off guard, there was almost a guarantee he would mess with his fingers. "We didn't mean to sleep so long!" he added, his eyes wide and genuine. 

Alex chuckled and waved a hand. "We were just teasing, dude."

"Yeah, you probably needed it," Bobby chimed in as he hooked his guitar to the amp.

"You guys should keep them on if you want to," Alex said with a faint smile. Reggie looked happy in Luke's overlong jacket, and Luke was pulling the flannel closer as if he wasn't upset they grabbed the wrong jackets. 

Luke and Reggie grinned at each other and nodded as they walked over to their guitars.

Bobby stood up and moved towards his mic. "But can we seriously get to playing? We have a gig outside the mall tomorrow."

Reggie grinned. "You got it!" He rolled back Luke's jacket sleeves and picked up his bass, his awkwardness evaporating like it had been nothing.

Luke, however, was frowning down at Reggie’s flannel he was wearing, his fingers messing with a spot at the bottom of it.

Alex noticed and twirled his sticks. "Luke, don't tell me you got something on Reggie's favorite shirt," he said darkly. 

"WHAT!?" Reggie whipped his head around to stare at Luke with widened eyes.

Luke winced and shook his head in denial. "No, it's just…" He looked at Reggie as if his best friend had betrayed him. Alex recognized that face from the last time they had pizza and Bobby snatched up the last piece before Luke could pounce on it. "How long has this thing had a _zipper?_ "

Silence.

Reggie swallowed. "Always…?" he said with uncertainty laced in his tone.

"Wait, it has a zipper?" Bobby looked as if Luke had unlocked secrets hidden by the universe.

Alex felt like the world had been turned upside down. "How have I not noticed that?" he demanded.

"Because most flannels have buttons," Luke said, staring at the zipper as if not sure if it was really there or not.

Reggie pouted. "What's wrong with the zipper?" he asked with hurt in his voice.

Everyone snapped out of it and turned to look at him.

"Nothing!" Alex and Luke said at the same time, and the latter let go of the object in question. 

"We just kind of assumed it was a button one," Bobby said with a shrug. "Nothing wrong with that. Zippers are cool... and easier, honestly."

"Yeah, even Luke can figure them out," Alex said as he sat behind his drums. He smirked when Luke scoffed at him.

Luke gave Alex a dirty look as he kept the flannel open and grabbed his guitar. "Anyway…"

Alex noticed Reggie looked pleased Luke kept his flannel on, but he didn't say anything. He suspected there was something developing between the two beyond friendship, but he hadn't bothered them about it. If they were seeing each other secretly, it wasn't anyone's business. Honestly, after Alex relayed to them how his parents reacted to him coming out, he wouldn't be surprised if they stayed in the closet until they were moved out of their parents' houses and free to be them. He knew Luke for sure wasn't straight after they had gone out a few times, but he wasn't sure about Reggie.

As he thought about this, Luke gave Reggie a wink that Alex was sure Bobby missed, but he didn't. It warmed his heart to see them so cute and content with each other.

"Alright," Alex said a little loudly to snap Reggie out of giving Luke puppy-dog eyes. They were sweet, but they needed to practice for this gig if they wanted Sunset Curve to be noticed by more people.

The dorks in the mismatched jackets finally paid attention and held their guitars comfortably as they got ready to do what they loved most - play their music.

Sunset Curve played well until almost ten o'clock when the neighbors finally came over to complain. 

As they all packed up, Alex noticed Luke and Reggie were muttering quietly to each other. Their heads were bent and their voices low, so he couldn't hear them, but he caught sight of Reggie's shy smile.

When they turned the lights off and made their way outside into the cool night, Reggie and Luke kept their opposite jackets on. 

"We'll see you guys tomorrow," Luke said brightly. Practice had gone well, so they were all feeling confident about their performance the following evening. 

"Get some sleep, guys. We're gonna kill it tomorrow," Bobby said with a small smile as he locked up his family's garage. 

"Night, man," Reggie called. 

The three of them made their way up the driveway and down the street. They didn't live too far from Bobby's, but Luke and Reggie were closer neighbors. He noticed they walked close enough that their shoulders brushed, but that was it. Alex hoped they were all right, and that the drama with their families wasn't affecting their feelings… if there was something there. He was pretty sure there was, but that was for them to figure out on their own.

When they reached Alex's street, he stopped and smiled at the other two. "See you guys tomorrow. Get some rest."

"Night, Alex." Luke smiled, and Reggie waved.

As he turned and walked away, something had him stopping a few houses down and turning around again.

He grinned when he saw Luke had an arm around Reggie's waist and was apparently telling him something funny. He could hear Reggie's laughter even from this distance.

Smiling to himself, he turned and made his way back home, feeling less anxious about the day after seeing his two best friends so happy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the guys reacting to the zipper situation was the fandom when they found out. :))


	14. Embers

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> prompt: “did you just kiss me?” “was i not supposed to?” “i don’t know but could you do it again?”  
> (a.k.a. when mic sharing goes a little too far. ♡)

_Won’t stop climbing_

_Cause this is our time yeah!”_

(Shredded guitar chords, bright lights blasting in their faces. The smell of smoke, leather, and sweat like it had happened just yesterday…)

_“Life is a risk but we will take it_

_Close my eyes and jump_

_Together I think that we can make it_

_Come on let’s run!”_

(The feeling of being alive again and experiencing the energy of an audience that could see them once more. The flashing lights behind them as his heart pounded.)

_“It will never change_

_We both know what I, what I, what I_

_Mean”_

(Meeting the eyes of the one he loved most while singing about trust and friendship while his heart ached for more.)

_“I got a spark in me_

_Hands up if you can see_

_And you’re a part of me”_

(The embers had been fanned, and the flames ignited. The emotions were there, and he couldn’t lie to himself anymore…)

All of these lyrics had one thing in common.

Okay, _two_ things in common. First, the words were chasing each other around in Reggie’s brain like a pack of overactive puppies. Second, they were in his brain not because of where he had sung them - but rather _who_ he had sung them with.

Reggie stared idly at the ceiling. He was flat on his back on the sofa in Julie’s garage with butterflies in his stomach and lyrics in his brain. His flannel was discarded so he was in his black tank top, feeling a little too warm with his emotions running rampant. 

He wasn’t sure when his feelings towards his best friend had changed, but sharing a microphone hadn’t helped matters. Not one bit.

Whenever he closed his eyes, he saw those gorgeous hazel ones shining back at him with so much passion and intensity, his heart fluttered like a trapped bird in a cage. He made a noise somewhere between a groan and a growl before he turned over to bury his face in a pillow. He wanted to scream from how scared and frustrated he was. The fear was mostly because he didn’t want to ruin his friendship with him. The frustration was more with himself; he couldn’t understand why or when his feelings had intensified from friendship to this… crush? Was it a crush? It felt like a crush, but it also felt so much more intense at the same time.

Reggie sighed and rolled so his back was to the door and his face stayed smooshed into the cushion, hiding from the world in the only way he could.

Alex was off somewhere, most likely with Willie, and Luke had mentioned going to write songs with Julie. So, Reggie had plenty of time to lounge around and stew in his emotions swirling around inside of him like a tornado.

His heart thudded against his ribs as he thought about how close he and Luke got when they shared a microphone. Their gazes would meet, and to Reggie, that meant there was nothing to fear in the world as long as Luke was looking at him and singing. He felt the connection they had as bandmates; as friends; as family…

As… more?

No. He had to stomp out those embers that were his feelings beginning to heat and form life. Luke loved Julie. He had basically given himself away already by the way he talked about her and looked at her. Reggie could practically see the hearts in his friend's eyes whenever he caught the guitarist looking over at their lead singer. They were cute, but the sight of them making moon eyes at each other also made Reggie’s stomach feel like he had swallowed battery acid.

Reggie frowned as he thought back to all of the times he spent with Luke since they were best friends in elementary school. He had been small, awkward, and nerdy which led to him being picked on. Then Luke came into his life and became like a bodyguard by challenging anyone who dared bully his new friend. They bonded over their love of music and spent many sleepovers at Luke’s house listening to, writing, and practicing their songs. Basically, they were fast friends, and Reggie couldn’t even remember a time when Luke Patterson wasn’t in his life.

After sharing years of laughs, tears, and many sleepless nights making sure their music was the best it could be, Reggie was sure there was a bond there. A bond that not even death could break. The problem was - whether the bond was a platonic one or something more roma-

_Nope_. Stamping out those thoughts. He put them out before they could gain strength and form flames. If he let the fire form inside of him, he was surely going to get burned.

The bassist sat up and rolled over to grab an acoustic guitar. It was his own, and he didn’t play it much anymore, but it was better suited for his emotions than his bass was. He strummed and hummed to himself as he played soft cords, thinking about how he needed to get his head on straight and ignore the pitter patter of his treacherous heart.

He wouldn’t think of his friend like that. Not if he wanted to keep the friendship he so dearly treasured. He would snuff out his feelings, and he would be happy that Luke found a connection with Julie - who was an incredible girl. He couldn’t begrudge his best friend happiness. If nursing a broken heart meant Luke was happy… _Well,_ Reggie thought, _I’ll suffer in silence then_.

•☆•☆•☆•

Unfortunately, one just didn’t ignore Luke Patterson, especially when he didn’t wish to be ignored.

After coming back from hanging out with Julie, the guitarist was unusually clingy. Luke was pretty well-known for showing affection through touch: hugs, shoulder squeezes, grabbing forearms…

Today, he didn’t seem to want to keep his hands to himself. He hugged Reggie from behind more than once which sent a weird jolt through him, and he kept playfully shoving his shoulder and laughing over their lamest jokes.

It was weird, and Reggie wasn’t sure what to do about this behavior. On the one hand, he liked that Luke was being affectionate, but on the other hand… It was making the whole plan to squash his crush extremely difficult.

Stupid Luke and his stupid dreamy eyes and stupid toothy smile.

Reggie scowled without thinking, and Luke raised his eyebrows in question, his guitar pick poking out between his teeth. He looked adorable, and Reggie was annoyed at him for it. Sure, his thoughts were almost rational, but his brain wasn’t in charge - his heart was. 

“You okay, Reg?” Luke asked around the pick which was suddenly really attractive to him.

He blinked rapidly then shook his head as if he could physically rid his thoughts of Luke and shifted his gaze to his bass in his hands. “Yeah, I’m fine,” he said quickly, but his voice cracked much like it had after Luke had indirectly kissed him before their “Edge of Great” show.

Alex was looking at him with a concerned expression, but Reggie avoided his eyes as Luke dropped it and went back to talking about their new song.

•☆•☆•☆•

Rehearsal was a hundred times worse. Reggie had been doing his best to avoid Luke’s friendly touches and sunny smiles whenever he met his eye. The trouble was if Luke Patterson didn’t want to be ignored, he made sure he wasn’t.

Their song started off normal enough, but when Luke gestured with his head for Reggie to join him at his microphone as per usual, Reggie looked away as if he hadn’t seen and sang along with his bandmates at his own mic. If he just kept their gazes from locking, shutting out his feelings would be at least a little easier.

Luke wasn’t making things easier.

The second run through their song, Luke did his best to be overly expressive with his movements. He jumped around a lot more and even circled Reggie once like a lion with his prey which made the bassist fumble a little with his playing. He nearly made Reggie pass away again when he bit his lip and winked.

Alex looked on with an expression of mild amusement, but he kept silent. Reggie looked to him for help more than once, but Alex simply shook his head. _Every man for himself_ , his expression said. That traitor.

The third time through was Reggie’s undoing. Luke decided to toss subtlety to the wind and hopped right over to Reggie without a hint of shyness. Normally, it was Reggie who made his way over to Luke’s mic, but his friend had stepped up his need to get attention.

Reggie had underestimated Luke’s need to prove a point. He was avoiding looking at him, so Luke was going to make himself as visible as possible.

He was so busy trying to step back from Luke as his friend belted out the chorus, Reggie neglected to see the cord to the mic was right behind him. He stumbled, and his foot caught on the one loop in the cord because that was his luck, sending him flying towards a startled Luke.

Strong hands flew out and caught his shoulders, and Reggie looked up into soft, concerned hazel eyes. Eyes that had starred in his most recent daydreams.

A warm flush climbed up Reggie’s neck and into his cheeks. He was nose-to-nose with Luke, and he felt as if he was trapped in a bubble with him - where nobody else on earth existed but for the two of them. He gulped as Luke continued to stare at him, still holding him up by the shoulders.

Something in Reggie snapped, and before his brain could stop his impulsive heart, he leaned forward and brushed Luke’s lips with his own. For the space of a heart beat, Reggie pulled back and gazed with widened eyes into Luke’s. The scruffy guitarist looked thoroughly shocked, and he felt his hands tighten around his arms. But Luke didn’t look disgusted at all: surprised, yes, but also thoughtful as if he had been wondering what it would feel like to kiss his best friend.

Well, _now_ he knew.

Another small stretch of silence before Luke suddenly grinned broadly, his annoyingly straight and white teeth gleaming in the midafternoon light. “Did you just kiss me?” he asked with a laugh in his voice that Reggie wanted to bask in like a cat in the sun.

Reggie almost bit out a snarky response, but then he decided against it. Luke didn’t deserve his venom. After all, he didn’t know about the conflict currently raging inside him: confess or stay silent? Be honest or lie? He felt as if his brain had shut down, leaving him only with the memory of Luke’s warm lips against his own. The rest of his brain cells had jumped ship.

Finally, he settled on a more playful reply. “Was I not supposed to?” he asked, doing the best Reggie smirk he could manage while trying to fight off the warm blush in his face. Oh, god. Any second, Luke was going to snap at him for being too flirtatious. He was going to be angry for Reggie’s jealousy towards the relationship he and Julie shared. He was going to-

“I don’t know,” Luke murmured, a mischievous glint in his eye as he closed the space between them and pulled Reggie’s face extremely close to his. “But could you do it again?” he asked in a low voice that made his face feel like it was on fire.

Reggie gulped, and Luke smiled before leaning in. Their lips brushed again, and the terror Reggie had been keeping inside of him for weeks evaporated on the spot. He straightened just enough to grab onto Luke’s shirt and tilt his head.

The kiss was brief, but many emotions were expressed in that short time. Words went unspoken but were obvious to the pair of them.

When they broke apart, Luke’s eyes were warm and bright with happiness.

Reggie opened his mouth, probably to stammer something stupid, but he didn’t get a chance because Alex decided to remind them they weren’t alone.

“Okay, how am _I_ the gay one?” he demanded, mock irritation in his voice.

Luke chuckled and released Reggie, who hastily got his foot free of the cord before he did something else embarrassing in front of Luke. Two times per day was his limit, and he wasn’t exactly functioning properly right now after he discovered what it felt like to kiss his best friend.

Alex rolled his eyes and shook his head. “The things I witness,” he grumbled to himself as he spun his drumsticks and tapped at the drums thoughtfully.

Grinning unabashedly, Luke turned to Reggie and played a guitar riff that was somehow flirtatious and made Reggie’s heart jump. He, in turn, played his bass and the deep chords sounded almost like a playful hum.

“Oh, god, now you’re flirting with your guitars?!” Alex demanded, looking between them before standing up with his hands raised. “I’ve seen enough!“

“Wait, Alex,” Luke laughed as he tried to stop Alex from leaving them. “Don’t. We were just playing.”

Alex shook his head and backed out of the garage doors. “If I had a real stomach, I’d be nauseous from how gross you two are being.”

Reggie snickered, still feeling warm around his ears as Luke chuckled and winked at him. This action caused a total bodily shut down, but it didn’t matter. Reggie smiled and bumped Luke playfully once he recovered.

“Gross!” Alex called playfully as he ran down the driveway to get away from them. “You guys are too mushy for me! Byeeee!”

Now all three were laughing as Luke and Reggie put down their guitars and chased after Alex. “Hey, get back here!” Luke called out, snickering as Reggie slipped a little. He reached out to grab his hand, and Reggie felt warmth shoot down his arm. The little hopeful embers he had been stamping out for ages came to life and burned, forming a strong flame within him. Luke’s smiles and touches maintained the happy glow that shined inside of him.

Because even though they were ghosts, running with two best friends, especially with the one keeping a firm hold on his hand, Reggie Peters never felt more alive than he did as he met those sparkling hazel eyes.


End file.
